


Kintsugi (Glue Me Back Together)

by Rebekah_Matthews



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-27
Packaged: 2021-04-25 17:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 114,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22323559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebekah_Matthews/pseuds/Rebekah_Matthews
Summary: Five months following their rebirth after the battle with the Dark Kingdom, the sailor soldiers find themselves struggling to live a normal life. Darien continues to live a life without knowledge of his life as the Prince of the Earth and being part of the galaxy's famous epic love. The girls find different ways to cope with their advanced powers and their own losses.
Relationships: Chiba Mamoru/Tsukino Usagi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: 'Kintsugi' is a Japanese art form in which breaks and repairs are treated as part of the object's history - such objects are seen as more beautiful when broken and put back together. This seemed like an appropriate title for the story. Please, leave me your comments and let me know what you think of the story as we go along!

The black of his eyes bored into her shaken and beaten body. She felt the defeat and hopelessness wash over her, penetrating her very soul, just like the unwavering eyes staring lifelessly at her. The light of the Moon was fading inside her. The shine of the Legendary Silver Crystal was getting duller with each blow. She raised her deep blue eyes to the man she loved and heard the words in that unfamiliar voice that hardened her resolve. She had no choice anymore.

“It’s no use!” he snarled, taunting her as he came forward. “You can never defeat me.”

She looked at him through tear filled eyes, the horror seeped in every pore of her. _How can I bring back the man he was?_ _I must defeat Queen Metalia, but to do that I have to get the Legendary Silver Crystal power from his body. _It was no good. She knew the outcome before she acted on it. Queen Beryl’s words echoed round her head, tormenting her with the possibility that this was not in fact the man she loved anymore.

_I heard you sent the power of the Legendary Silver Crystal into his body when he was at death’s door. But it was no use. He died! _Queen Beryl had laughed in her face, relishing in the princess’s grief.

She screamed. She screamed so loud that Queen Beryl’s words were shocked out of her head. The vibrations of her screams shook the very Earth they stood on, filled the void they were sucked into, resonating Tuxedo Mask and the Legendary Silver Crystal with her confused and torn heart. In her despair, the vision of Queen Serenity took hold of her. The once mighty and graceful Lunarian Queen stood before her daughter and time stood still.

“Only you have the ability,” Queen Serenity reminded her. “You are a princess and the guardian of justice, Sailor Moon! Have confidence and pride in these facts!”

Sailor Moon opened her eyes, the light of the energy forming in Tuxedo Mask’s hands almost blinding her. She couldn’t take any more. She can’t see him like this anymore. Her Prince Endymion broken by the Dark Kingdom. It was the only option to set him free. Her fingers curled around the hilt of sword of the silver crystal that lay at her side on the floor where she was kneeling. Her face hardened as she raced forward with the sword, the blade easily sliding into the gut of the brainwashed prince like he was butter.

His eyes opened, the black gone, the deep blue of his irises penetrated her own cerulean blue ones once again. She smiled at him sadly, the recognition of lost love bittersweet. She kissed him longingly, her hand at his jawline, grasping him to her as she kept her grip on the hilt of the sword. She pulled back to watch his eyes shutter down and the lights went out. Numbingly, she pulled the sword from his body and she twisted it round, plunging it into her torso and the Moon’s shine went out.

“NO!” the cries of the sailor soldiers were the last thing she heard.

Serena shot up in bed. Her curtains were open, and the moonlight streamed through her window over her bed where she lay. She worked to slow her breathing and calm her heart. She rubbed her eyes and smiled in relief when she saw that Luna was curled up in a ball at the end of her bed, still fast asleep. She’d woken her guardian cat on too many occasions with her nightmares. The same one she’d had for the past five months. It didn’t get any easier, no matter how much time passed. She and her sailor guardians were all reborn following the traumatic battle with the Dark Kingdom, and so was Darien. Luna had the ability to reawaken the solar system’s guardians but the same couldn’t be accomplished for the Earth Prince. Serena held on to hope that they’d find their way back to each other. It was killing her that he was so close but so far away from her, all at the same time.

“Sun… Moon… Stars,” the Shinto priestess chanted in front of the flickering flames.

Her eyes were closed, and little beads of sweat were at her brow as she meditated. She was so lost in her concentration that she didn’t notice the time pass her by. She felt her mind calm and the peace wash through her as she detected no sign of evil in the Azabu-Juban district. Her vibrant violet eyes opened to the sight of the great fire roaring in front of her. This was the sight she saw every single day at this time. She’d fallen into an obsessive pattern, scanning the district for signs of unwelcome distress but there had only been minor things the last few months.

It had been a hard time for all of them since they were reborn for the second time on Earth. Following their battle with Queen Metalia of the Dark Kingdom and the devastation that was left behind, it took some rebuilding for them. There had been a short window of time when Mina, Lita, Amy and herself had lived as regular girls, but Serena had been forced to remember all that happened sooner than they. She wasn’t alone for long until Luna had helped them to remember, too and support Serena as they always had. The problem was that things were different than in the time of their first reincarnation. Their powers were stronger, and it took a lot of getting used to. They realised that they needed to spend time training to harness their powers to always be at their strongest, to never feel weak in front of an enemy again.

Yet, Raye was struggling. She spent more time in front of the great fire, perfecting the art of pyromancy, watching over the people in the district than she did practicing her powers over the element of fire. She was sure the girls hadn’t noticed her hesitancy to use it. She didn’t like the feel, or even the sight, of fire in her hands. The last time she’d yielded it as such in a fight, she’d killed the one person she’d once loved in a past life.

Her eyes flickered to the side table a safe distance away from the fire. She reached over and picked up the phone, right as it rang in her hand. This had happened for the past three months, just like clockwork. She knew that on the other end of the phone would be Serena. At first, she’d yelled at the blonde for calling bang on midnight, but over time, she realised her friend just needed someone to talk to. Sometimes conversation was serious, other times it was light-hearted and there have been occasion where they just sat in silence, comforted by the knowledge that the other was on the end of the line. Each of the girls struggled in different ways, and this was Serena’s.

“Hey, Serena,” Raye greeted her down the line.

“Is this a bad time?” she asked.

Serena asked this every night, but Raye didn’t comment on the repetitive reply anymore. The first month, Raye had initially exploded, responding that midnight was not in fact a good time. However, eventually she found her own default reply.

“Always, but I just finished meditating,” Raye told her then added, “Grandpa is asleep.”

“Great,” Serena replied. Raye knew she was smiling down the phone. “Are we still on for study buddies tomorrow at your place?”

“Yep,” the raven-haired miko returned. “I believe Amy wants to look at trigonometry again.”

“I hope you’re joking,” Serena cringed. “I hate maths!”

“We know,” Raye smiled wryly, “that’s why Amy insists on it.”

There was a pause down the line.

“I saw Darien today with Andrew,” Serena murmured quietly.

Raye recognised the sadness in her voice, and she pictured in her mind, Serena’s head bowed, her eyes sombre. Sometimes she talked about Darien, other times he wouldn’t be mentioned. In those moments, Raye felt that Serena worked extra hard to be her usual bubbly and silly self.

“That’s a good thing, Serena.”

“I know that,” she admitted. “He seems… okay and I feel bad that I don’t feel good about that. I just feel like he’s living a lie.”

“This is better than the alternative, as you well know,” Raye reminded her.

Serena blinked away the memory. Her nightmare was enough of a reminder of the alternative.

“It’s just when he speaks to me, I don’t feel like he’s talking to the real _me_,” Serena revealed.

“I know, Sere,” Raye said gently. “He’ll come back to you. Queen Serenity wouldn’t have brought us here if you were fated to be doomed.”

“Raye, I just miss him so much,” Serena sighed, a wobble noticeable in her voice.

Raye heard her sit back, from where she presumed was, in her room. She had the sudden vision of the grey eyes of Jadeite and she knew exactly how she felt.

“We know,” Raye said gently.

“I’m – I’m so sorry,” Serena voiced suddenly. “It just scares me, you know, what he might have to go through to come back to me. And what if he doesn’t want to?”

“He already came back to you once before,” Raye reminded her. “I want you to remember that. Darien did all of this for you.” Raye paused, letting Serena take her words in. “Everything that man has ever done has been to protect you. He fought so hard against the Dark Kingdom and he would do it many lifetimes over.”

Serena had tears in her eyes and Raye heard the distinctive sound of sniffing. Serena felt the weight of sadness push her shoulders down, take hold of her heart.

“Hey, could you just…” Serena swallowed, “stay on the phone with me for, like, five more minutes? Then I promise we’ll both go to sleep.”

“Yeah, sure,” Raye accepted the favour. “We can talk all night if you want to.”

Serena nodded, closing her eyes, the tears falling down her cheeks as she did so. Raye felt for her, as did the rest of the girls. They each understood loss and felt it deeply. It was perhaps harder when you were the reason why you had the loss. Raye sat with her ear to the phone and she held her hand out, palm up. She opened her fingers and a little ball of fire flickered against her skin. In this ball of fire, clear as a reflection in a mirror, was the image of Jadeite before he died. She had never had a hand in the death of someone she loved but it was a numbing feeling to see it every time she embraced her true nature as Sailor Mars, the guardian of love and passion, the soldier of war. Love didn’t have a place in her heart.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, girls,” Andrew greeted the group, standing at the side of their table in the Fruits Parlor Crown. “The usual?”

There was an echo of yeses and one no. All heads turned to Mina whose face was a look of innocence. She shrugged at the surprised faces staring at her.

“Bring me a water, please, Andrew,” she requested sweetly, turning her full charm on him.

“Sure thing,” Andrew nodded, jotting it down on his notepad. “Be right back.”

“Wait, you’re not joining me in our customary full sugar kick in the form of a glorious chocolate milkshake?” Serena gasped.

“What? I’m detoxing,” Mina defended herself, with a wave of her hand.

“Why?” Raye frowned. “Are you bloating again?”

Lita nudged the shrine maiden. “Be nice.”

“No,” Mina rolled her eyes. “I have a date later.”

“Oh, you’re seeing Dan again?” Lita asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mina said offhandedly, inspecting her nails. “He was as dull as dishwater. I’m seeing Lucas.”

“Who _are_ these people?” Raye stressed, staring at the baby-blue eyed blonde in front of her.

“Just guys I’ve met in school, or at volleyball games, or at the studio,” Mina replied.

“Wait,” Serena ordered, holding up a finger, then slammed her hands down onto the tabletop, “just how many people are you seeing?”

“One,” Mina laughed.

“How is that possible?” Lita wandered, her brow furrowed in thought. “I swear I’ve heard you mention at least five different guy’s names this week alone.”

“It doesn’t hurt to see what’s swimming in the sea,” Mina smirked.

“It does if it can bite you in the ass,” Raye smirked.

“Careful now, Miss Raye,” Mina sang. Her eyes flickered to the side to see Andrew approaching them. “Awesome. Order’s here!”

“Don’t choke on the excitement waiting for you at the bottom of that glass of water,” Raye mumbled sarcastically.

“Andrew!” Serena exclaimed shrilly, the smile on her face so bright she could have lit up the building. She reached out for her milkshake greedily. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Serena,” Andrew smiled, handing the glasses round to the rest of the girls.

Amy put her book down and smiled at Andrew in thanks as she took her drink from him. She watched him leave then turned to the girls, pushing her glasses back up her nose.

“Right, to business,” Amy announced.

“What else?” Serena grumbled.

“Come on, Serena,” Amy encouraged her gently. “You need to pass trig’ or you’ll just have to re-sit the exam again.”

“But I hate it _so_ much,” Serena whined.

“Well, it wouldn’t be study buddies without your complaining,” Raye said tartly.

“I’m siding with Serena on this one,” Mina groaned. “Can’t we just have another sailor session?”

“We’re doing that tomorrow,” Amy reminded her. “The exams are coming up and I believe you’re also in desperate need of it, Mina.”

“She’s such a party pooper,” Mina mumbled under her breath to Serena.

Serena nodded, resting her chin on her hand in defeat. She raised her eyes to gaze over in the general direction of the automatic doors and she felt all the blood drain from her face as she watched Darien walk through the doors. His eyes flickered round the room and after a moment, he appeared to find who he was looking for. Serena’s eyes followed Darien as he walked through the café and approached Andrew. She felt herself sigh when she watched Darien laugh at something Andrew said and she felt this yearning build up inside herself. Mina’s attention turned to look at the suddenly quiet Serena and her eyes followed Serena’s gaze. She really felt for Serena. She wrapped her arm around Serena’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. Serena looked at her beautiful blonde friend and smiled sadly. Raye looked at the two blondes and knew what had caused the solemn look on their faces.

“So, shall we move to the temple?” Raye asked the collective group.

Amy and Lita looked across the room to see Darien standing with Andrew and they nodded.

“Wait, we haven’t paid yet,” Serena piped up as everyone was grabbing their bags to leave.

“It’s fine,” Lita told her, “I’ll go settle the bill. I’ll see you outside.”

The girls left as Lita went to the counter to pay for their drinks. It took a couple of minutes as the Furuhata family had a new member of staff who was nervous on their first week. Lita smiled and told them not to worry. Eventually she was able to pay and as she turned, she crashed into Darien.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Darien,” Lita apologised.

“Careful,” Darien warned her, “it seems Meatball Head is rubbing off on you.”

Before Lita could open her mouth to reply, the aforementioned girl’s voice beat her to it.

“Perhaps it’s you who needs to be careful,” Serena snapped.

Despite their current predicament, old habits die hard and Serena hated that he saw her as ‘Meatball Head’ and not the girl she knew he loved underneath his forgotten memories. The name irked her, and it reminded her of a time when they had no knowledge of their former lives together. She scowled at him. It was easier to react to him than to surprise him by being the person she once was with him.

Darien raised his eyebrows at the petite blonde. Lita’s eyes flickered between the two of them and before he could react, Lita linked her arm through Serena’s and pulled her away.

“It’s quite alright,” Lita shot over her shoulder back at Darien. She looked to her side at Serena with a frown. “What was that?”

Serena grimaced. “I just couldn’t help it, Lita,” she admitted. “It’s just so hard being the girl he forgot about. Seeing him look at me the way he used to… it’s just… it kills me.” They reached outside and spotted the girls further ahead. Serena stopped and turned to Lita. “Are we honestly good people?”

Lita considered her much smaller friend and pressed her lips together. “We do what we have to do,” she said gently. “We’ve fought in the name of good for so long. Evil is made, not born. I believe that one day we’ll be able to breathe again.”

Serena smiled up at Lita. “We should join the others, or Raye will kill me with her trig book.”

“You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries that,” Lita laughed.

They linked arms and hurried in the direction of the Cherry Hill Temple. They reached the top of the seemingly never-ending staircase gasping for breath and they made their way to the large living room where the girls did study buddies. The door shot open before they were able to make their entrance and in the doorway stood a very irritable Raye.

“Where have the two of you been?” she asked, nostrils flaring. “We’ve been waiting hours.”

“Rubbish, we were behind you by just 15 minutes,” Lita replied breezily, as she passed Raye and joined the two other girls sat round the table.

“We bumped into Darien,” Serena said flatly, following Lita through, “literally.”

Raye turned slowly to face the girls, all of whom was now staring at Serena. Her eyes flickered between each of the planetary guardians and she gave them a tentative smile.

“Girls, it’s fine,” Serena assured them, “really.”

Mina shuffled over to sit next to her fellow blonde and she brushed Serena’s bangs back away from her eyes.

“Honey, it’s not fine,” Mina told her sympathetically.

Serena pressed her lips together and looked at Mina out of the corner of her eye.

“It won’t always be this way, Serena,” Raye said gently, taking her seat opposite Serena.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Serena shrugged. “Either way, Darien’s a million miles away from me and I’ve no idea how to get him back. We’re two worlds away. In the Silver Millennium, we literally lived on different astronomical objects and I felt closer to him then than I do now.”

Silence reigned over them for a moment until Amy, the quiet but intelligent one, spoke.

“Just be yourself, Serena,” Amy suggested. “You don’t need to be anything other than who you are. That’s the girl Darien loves, whether he knows it or not. Be the Meatball Head that he teases every time he sees you. He was fond of you even when none of us knew who we really are.”

“And this is why Amy is the smart one,” Mina grinned.

“Thanks, Amy,” Serena murmured.

Lita rubbed Serena’s shoulder comfortingly, then looked around at the rest of the group.

“So, are we going to study?” she asked.

Serena and Mina groaned. It seemed, for now, that order had been restored.


	3. Chapter 3

“I just don’t understand it!” Serena complained, her face screwed up into a mixture of upset, anger and frustration.

“It’s okay, Serena,” Mina replied sympathetically. “It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad?” Serena repeated, her voice edging onto the hysterical. “After all those hours studying, and I still managed this!”

She shoved her test paper under Mina’s nose. Mina frowned, pushing it out of the way.

“Honestly, Sere,” Mina grumbled. “You can just retake it.”

“Is that all you have to say? How am I supposed to explain this to my parents?!”

“Look, it’s hardly new to them,” Mina shrugged.

Serena stopped in her tracks abruptly. Mina looked over her shoulder, eyebrows raised and spun on her heel to face her fellow blonde in time to witness Serena angrily scrunching her test paper up into a tight ball.

“I am so _done_ with this,” Serena stressed.

Mina’s eyes widened and she tried to step forward in time to catch Serena’s arm.

“Serena, don’t!” Mina cried.

But it was too late. Mina’s sky-blue eyes watched in horror as the ball of paper flew over Serena’s shoulder and landed bullseye on top of Darien’s unsuspecting head. He groaned in annoyance and Mina’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline as Serena inhaled in dismay, a feeling of dread coming over her.

“I’ll tell you again, Meatball Head,” Darien sniffed, “I am not a trash can.”

Serena whirled around and glared up at him with a deep frown between her delicate eyebrows.

“I wasn’t using you as a trash can,” she stated. She looked him up and down, her mouth downturned and she quirked her eyebrows. “But I guess it works.”

Darien was only half-listening as he was straightening out Serena’s test paper. He visibly blanched before their eyes and he looked over the top of the paper at Serena.

“Yikes,” he said, unimpressed. “Study harder in future, Meatball Head.”

Mina bit her lip as she watched the rage take over Serena’s face. Serena stepped forward and snatched her test paper out of his hand, then proceeded to whack him over the shoulder with it. It was at this moment that she realised just how tall he was. She couldn’t help but appreciate his handsome face, strong jaw and eyes that she could get lost in for days on end. 

“I did study, you jerk,” she countered, almost weakly.

“Clearly, not enough,” he smirked.

Serena shrieked in visible frustration and she couldn’t help it when she stomped her foot. She hated being back in this place with him – what was worse was that she did study really hard and her head just didn’t retain all the information that Amy had been drilling into her over the past few weeks.

“Come on, Serena,” Mina said gently, taking her arm. “We need to head over to Lita’s now.”

“Well, heading into the arcade certainly isn’t doing you any good,” Darien commented, nodding in the direction a little way up the street behind the girls.

“Well, if the dark circles under your eyes are any indication, it certainly isn’t doing you any good either,” Serena bit back. Honestly, those dark circles always worried her more than gave her any ammunition to argue back with him.

Darien’s eyebrows raised and he appeared to be struggling to keep his smile from making an appearance at the corners of his mouth.

“I have learnt to accept my dark circles. They kind of whisper a prologue to my story.” He patted one of her buns pinned at the top of her long ponytail on his way past her. “Work harder, Meatball Head.”

Serena stared after him with an eyebrow raised quizzically. She looked at Mina incredulously with her hands raised. Mina shrugged and linked her arm through one of Serena’s.

“Look at the bright side,” Mina continued, as if their interaction with Darien hadn’t happened, “we’re retake buddies again.”

Serena’s face brightened.

“You mean you’re retaking the exam with me?!”

“Of course,” Mina winked.

“Why aren’t you as bummed about it as me?” Serena asked, nudging her.

“Ah, why worry?” Mina laughed. “We’ve had far worse to worry about, so I won’t stress about it. Besides, worrying gives us wrinkles and I want to maintain my healthy glow.” She winked.

“Got it,” Serena grinned.

Amy and Lita watched intently as Raye sat chanting in front of Lita’s open fire. They had moved all of the furniture away from where Raye was meditating. Thanks to Raye’s developed affinity with fire, she didn’t need direct use of the great fire at the Cherry Hill Temple to practice pyromancy to look into the future. The girls had been at this for quite some time. Raye’s compulsive tapping, turned into pacing, then her request to use Lita’s fire had burst out of her. Confused by the random outburst, Lita complied and then the girls found out why. Raye hadn’t told any of the girls that she looked over the district every day, three times a day. Then they felt overwhelming shame that they weren’t as proactive in their duties as sailor guardians.

Mina and Serena were late, though that wasn’t anything new to the girls, if anything this was an expectation. It felt like the perfect time to spend some time away from the books and firmly in their planetary guardian shoes. Amy quietly got out her Mercury computer and started tapping away at it. Lita got up as Raye went deeper into her meditation and she crossed the room to check on her many plants that filled her apartment. After feeling happy that her plants were thriving in her immediate living room, she turned to her kitchen and frowned at the roses growing there. The usual vibrant pink of the roses was dull, and the petals were curling limply. She simply waved her hands over the flowers and she watched as a faint green glow momentarily enveloped her flowers and faded, leaving thriving flowers coming out of bud. She smiled to herself and looked over her shoulder as she heard her front door crash open.

“It’s just us!” Mina’s voice sounded from the entrance to Lita’s home.

Raye didn’t react to their tardiness. She was too engrossed in her chanting that was now speeding up. Sweat was beading at her forehead, trickling down the side of her cheek and she started to rock gently on the spot in her seat.

“Raye?” Amy prompted gently, resting her Mercury computer on her lap as she leaned forward towards the priestess.

Raye didn’t hear her. Mina and Serena appeared in house slippers and glanced at Raye who appeared more intense than usual. They looked at each other and looked at Amy and Lita who came over to greet them.

“What’s going on?” Serena asked.

“Raye,” Lita nodded at their raven-haired friend, “she’s been doing fire readings since the Luna mind meld. We were waiting for you as you were both late, so we decided to fill some time by checking in on things. We had no idea that she was working like this to watch over the city.” She paused and watched Raye for a moment. “Though I’m starting to believe that that was a great idea. It seems intense.”

Raye’s eyes shot open at that moment. She steadied her breath and swallowed. Her deep violet eyes raised to look at her friends whose attention was solely focused on her.

“We may not have the peace we think we’ve been enjoying,” she told them in a harsh whisper. “Something’s brewing. Something that could change everything.”

“What do you mean, Raye?” Serena asked, stepping toward her and falling to her knees.

“A second chance was a gift, but we’ve had a third,” Raye continued. “I fear that something has started.”

“But what?” Mina demanded, almost impatiently.

“The longer truths are concealed, the greater the lie,” Raye said, in a trance-like state. “As a lie can be buried, the truth will always bloom. If there is to be goodness in this world, then there must also be darkness. It will fight to drive out the light, only one of us is in a dark room that no light can penetrate. There is a crack that only that light can enter. Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars and it is this shine that must treat the delicate truth with great caution.”

Raye slumped, her hand falling flat on the carpet beneath her legs and she inhaled sharply. Serena leaned forward, placing her hand at Raye’s shoulder.

“Raye,” she cried. “Raye!” She shook her shoulder gently. “Are you okay?”

“Lita, you were right,” Raye breathed, “it is intense.”

The girls laughed in equal relief and concern then sat back and pondered Raye’s riddle.

Elsewhere, Darien was sat studying in the university library, his thoughts equally filled with things he couldn’t answer. He often found himself lost in thought or gazing into the blank distance, his mind wandering. He gazed out of the window, raising his eyes to the sky where he could see a crescent moon gracing the sky with its magnificent presence. There was always something serene, beautiful and calming about it that made him feel at peace.

Whenever Serena laid eyes on Darien, she pondered, – as the girls quarrelled over what their next study buddies will entail – that memory loss is one way of coping with damage. She just hoped that that damage wasn’t controlling his life, like her presence in it hadn’t already.


	4. Chapter 4

Sailor Mercury dove out of the way, as a blast sounded a moment later. She looked up, brushing her bangs back from her face, touching her earring to bring her Mercury goggles down over her eyes. She quickly scanned the oncoming figure and her eyes widened as she spotted Sailor Venus jump up from behind a large boulder.

“Venus, get out of the way!” she yelled.

Venus turned, unlooping her Venus chain from around her waist and without hesitation called out her Venus love me chain attack to bind the imposing beast directly in front of her. They watched as the creature’s rocky muscles flexed, and the chain links weakened. Heat pulsed out of the cracks in its tough skin, burning Venus’s hands. Sailor Jupiter leaped out, pushing Venus away from harm.

Mercury touched her earring once again, making the Mercury goggles disappear from view, then she twirled round on the spot, shouting, “shine snow illusion!” A powerful, freezing storm filled the battlefield and she blasted the enemy with flurries of snow, immediately slowing it down. She held her hands up in front of her face, wrists crossed and cried, “Mercury ice bubbles freeze!”

The sailor soldiers watched as the bubbles encased the flaming rock being, and froze, effectively breaking the monster into pieces and crumbled to the ground. Mercury reached up to activate her Mercury goggles, bringing out her Mercury computer and tapped into it for a few moments, bringing down the hyperspatial sphere generate shield.

“Nice work, Mercury!” Jupiter nodded, impressed.

“Thanks,” she replied. She looked at Venus. “That was sloppy, V. You know that I created the monster to have fire and rock capabilities. Using your abilities would be nigh-on useless in this case.”

“Then why was I here?” Venus asked, folding her arms across her chest.

“We never know what we’ll come up against,” Mercury countered.

“Well, Raye isn’t here!” Venus grumbled.

“Again,” Jupiter commented, pressing her lips together. “Where is she anyway?”

“Presumably at the temple,” Mercury shrugged. “She didn’t tell me what she was doing instead.”

“Have any of you guys noticed that Raye is always missing when we’re training?” Venus asked Jupiter and Mercury.

“She came last week,” Jupiter pointed out.

“Great,” Venus replied sarcastically. “She wasn’t exactly any help, was she?”

“What do you mean?” Mercury frowned.

“You simulated a monster for us to train with that was weak against fire,” Venus said flatly.

Mercury and Jupiter exchanged glances.

“I suppose you’re right,” Jupiter sighed.

“She uses her abilities as a priestess though,” Mercury offered.

“Awesome,” Venus said tartly.

“We’ll talk to her,” Jupiter suggested diplomatically.

“Raye isn’t really the talking type,” Mercury pointed out.

“It’ll be fine,” Venus assured them. She turned with her hand at her chest, her sailor fuku fading away in a flurry of petals and ribbons. Mina turned to look at them as the girls followed suit. “We should go meet Serena. She should be out of detention by now.”

“What did she do this time anyway?” Lita smiled.

“She fell asleep during geometry class,” Mina snorted.

“It’s nice that some things never change,” Amy said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

Serena walked out of the school with a sigh. She really was never a lover of school, and certainly not the detentions that she inevitably had to endure each week. Her ability to concentrate all but went out of the window once she was seated in a classroom. She stumbled slowly on her way to the Game Centre Crown to meet the girls and she found herself staring at the ground as she went. She really should have learned better. She crashed into a tall, hard figure and she felt herself falling to the ground, her bag escaping her grip. Before her body contacted the ground and her head crashed into the pavement, she felt a firm, large hand grab hold of her own pulling her back up.

Her cerulean blue eyes shot up to stare into the deep oceans of Darien’s own. He had a slight frown at his brow, and he removed his gaze from Serena and to his grasp on her hand. He’d felt this bolt of electricity go through him, like a déja vu. He pulled her upright so that she was firmly on her own two feet.

“Do you ever watch where you’re going?” he grumbled, his frown deepening in annoyance when he spotted his book on the ground, evidently having fallen page first and the pages were now crumpled slightly under the weight of the book cover.

“I’m sorry,” Serena apologised, unconsciously squeezing his fingers against her own. “I just came out of school.”

Darien looked at their entwined hands and pulled his hand away out of her immediate space. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and raised his eyebrows.

“It’s after four,” he commented. “Detention again?”

She nodded meekly, unsure how to act around him. It felt weird for her to be around Darien. They’d been through so much and he was unaware of it. It felt horrible to love someone who didn’t know that they loved you back.

“Are you going to the arcade?” she eventually asked.

“I’m visiting Andrew, yes,” he replied. He eyed her fallen bag on the ground and reached down to pick it up. “I presume you’re going to pig out on chocolate milkshakes and play more arcade games.”

“That’s what the arcade is for,” Serena snapped, snatching her bag from his hand.

Darien dove down for his book. He snapped it shut and reached forward, circling his fingers around Serena’s wrist. She looked back at him over her shoulder and stared at him, her breathing uneven.

“What?” Serena barked.

“You bumped into me yet again, caused me to drop my book and you didn’t even attempt to pick it up again for me,” he said.

“You have arms and hands,” she stated, “you can do it.”

“You’re very testy today,” he smirked, amused.

“Darien?”

“Yes, Meatball Head?”

“Please take your hand off my wrist,” she ordered, the request not up for debate in her voice.

“Let’s go to the Crown,” Darien offered, pushing her gently forward.

Without thinking, she stuck her tongue out at him, rolled her eyes and walked ahead of him all the way to the game centre. She greeted Andrew, quickly spotted the girls and crossed the arcade to join them.

“Hey, girl,” Lita greeted her first. “Where have you been at? We’ve been waiting ages.”

“At least she showed up,” Mina said under her breath.

“Oh, I err…” Serena mumbled, “bumped into Darien on the way.”

“Ah,” Lita uttered. “So, how was detention?”

“No, boring,” Serena waved the subject away. “How was training?”

“It was great!” Mina exclaimed.

“We still have work to do,” Amy disagreed, nudging Mina in the side.

“Alright, fine!” Mina conceded. “However, Raye didn’t turn up.”

“Again?” Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mina raised her hands to the girls as if to say, ‘see what I mean?!’

“Hold on a sec’,” Serena said, holding up a finger. “Where is Raye?”

“She’s –” Amy started.

Amy was effectively cut off as the aforementioned fifth member of the group burst through the door and crashed into the table, unable to stop herself. The girls stared open mouthed at their raven-haired flustered friend.

“Raye, what the hell?” Mina exclaimed.

“Well, that answers the question ‘where is Raye?’,” Amy stated.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Raye wheezed, pushing Serena over in the booth with her hip and immediately pouring herself a glass of water and knocking it back in one. “Chad made a huge mess at the shrine and I had to deal with it. Grandpa can’t do as much as he claims he can.”

Chad was an apprentice at the Cherry Hill Temple, working under the Hino’s mentorship. He had been with them three months, was an aspiring musician but he had begged Raye’s grandpa to take him on as an apprentice after meeting Raye. It was no news to anyone that he had a particular fondness for Raye.

“What did he do?” Serena gaped.

Raye rolled her eyes. “I was meditating in front of the great fire and that blithering idiot was supposedly worried that my hair would catch on fire. He caught me in the middle of a chant, and he charged into the room like a bull with the hose.” Serena and Mina were biting their lips in an effort to stop themselves from laughing. “I turned to see what the fuss was about, and he started spraying water around the edges of the fire, which only inflamed it more because I was chanting. He doesn’t have a clue obviously that I use pyromancy at the great fire, so he just freaked out. He then sprayed the whole room with the hose and before I knew it, I had to kick his butt out of the shrine while I cleaned up. It was a disaster.”

“Wow,” Lita said unimpressed. “What was he thinking?”

“Oh, we know what he was thinking,” Mina smirked, as Serena spat out her drink with laughter back into her glass. “That boy is so gaga for Raye.”

Raye narrowed her eyes at the self-proclaimed goddess of love.

“Enough, Mina,” she responded shortly. “Anyway, that’s why I wasn’t at training this afternoon as I had to cover at the shrine. How was the training?”

“Don’t go there,” Serena warned her.

“Okay,” Raye said slowly, her brow furrowed.

“There is something we do want to discuss though,” Lita hedged.

“Really? Here? Now?” Amy asked surprised.

“Here is where we are,” Lita shrugged. She turned to Raye. “Why aren’t you coming to our training sessions?”

“I just told you why,” Raye replied.

“One day,” Lita objected. “How about all the other times?”

“I haven’t missed them all,” Raye argued.

“But when you’ve been there, you haven’t been fighting like you always have done,” Mina said gently.

Raye breathed in steadily, pressing her lips together.

“What? You mean because I haven’t been using the elemental powers I was born with?” she glared. “Yes, I’m very well aware. How about instead of being judgy, you let me just feel what I’m feeling and butt out. I’m doing my duties as a sailor soldier. We know something is coming because I’ve been looking out for the city. That’s more than what any of you have been doing.”

She stood up and turned to leave.

“Raye, don’t go!” Serena called after her. She sighed as Raye exited through the doors without a backward glance.

“Well, that went well,” Amy said tartly.

“Damn, it’s raining,” Serena groaned, staring out of the window. “You know what, we can’t just leave her like this. It doesn’t feel right. I’m going to go talk to her. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to stage an intervention.”

“That’s not what this was,” Lita protested.

“I know, but it probably felt that way,” Serena shrugged.

“You haven’t had your milkshake though,” Mina said.

“It’s fine,” Serena waved it off. “I didn’t order one. I’ll see you guys later!”

She waved at Andrew on her way out, passing Darien who was sat on the other side of the counter talking to him, who watched her leave in amazement.

“It’s not like her not to sit drinking milkshake and playing half the games here,” Darien commented.

“Undoubtedly, she’ll be back,” Andrew smiled. “By the looks of this weather, she’ll be sopping wet through though.”

Serena ran round the corner from the Game Centre Crown and slowed as she walked down the path in the direction of the Cherry Hill Temple. She looked left and right when she approached the crosswalk and crossed the road when the traffic stopped for her. She made her way down another road and felt the rain getting a little heavier, so she sped up a little bit. As the rain caused her bangs to stick to her forehead and her long tresses that hung from each bun pinned at her head to hang in a heavy, wet manner, she decided to run to catch up with Raye. Raye would have taken her bicycle as she usually would have so she may have caught a little bit of the rain before reaching the temple, which sadly can’t be said the same for Serena. She sprinted round the next corner and felt her sneakers slip from underneath her. She couldn’t stop herself from falling. Her ankle rolled over painfully and winced as her weight caused her feet to disappear from underneath her as she fell to the ground.

Darien was sipping his coffee slowly as he listened to Andrew talk about the plans his parents had for the Crown arcade and café. Then he felt a headache come on which overwhelmed him, losing his ability to concentrate on the words that Andrew was saying. He had this sudden vision of heavy rain, the musty smell of dust in the air and a pulsing pain. He put his coffee down steadily and forced himself to focus on Andrew.

“Hey, Drew,” he interrupted. “I’d love to hear more but I’ve got to see to something quickly.”

“Is everything okay?” Andrew asked, shocked by Darien’s abruptness.

“Sure, I just need to shoot off,” Darien said, getting up from his seat. “I’ll speak to you later, alright?” He waved his hand up as he left the game centre.

All he knew was that he was needed. He didn’t know why or how. Call it a feeling. A feeling so strong that it was clearer than any dream that had woken him from his slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I hope you enjoy this update - please leave reviews. I really do appreciate them. If you can help me out, let me know of other words you use or have seen in other works for words you can substitute for the word 'said'. I hate that word and I feel I use the same group of words over and over again so it'd be great to have some feedback!

Serena winced as the pain shot up her leg. She crawled over to a lamppost and grabbed hold of it. The rain was now pelting down and bouncing off the sidewalk. Her hair hung in heavy locks, her bangs stuck to her forehead. She pushed her hair away from her eyes with the back of her wrist and she braced herself. She pulled herself up unsteadily from the ground and cried out when she tried to stand on her left foot. She slumped against the lamppost and gripped on harder. She had no idea how she was going to get home, never mind Raye’s temple. All thoughts of catching up with Raye had now gone. She felt in her cardigan pockets for her phone and realised that she’d left it in the arcade with the girls. Just great. She growled gently under her breath. It’s just typical that she sustained an injury on a perfectly normal day while out by herself, in the downpour, in a sodden shell-white woollen cardigan that afforded her no protection from the random weather change.

When she was in battle with the sailor soldiers by her side, a hit from an enemy was nothing like this vulnerability that she now felt. She recalled her first battle as Sailor Moon with Luna by her side shouting out advice. Terrified as she was, she realised that she was far from alone. Tuxedo Mask had appeared, quite literally as her knight in a sharp tuxedo of all things – not that she had known that at the time – and encouraged her each battle from then on as she got stronger as a guardian and warrior. Life had changed substantially over the past few months for all of the girls, including Darien. Evil activity in the city was infrequent but existent all the same. Each of the girls had found that this resurrection, following their battle with Queen Metalia, had a particular outcome that none of them were prepared for. They found themselves more powerful than ever, able to access their full potential which they hadn’t had when Queen Serenity had sent them to a new life on Earth following the Silver Millennium’s destruction. They were forced to practice their newfound skills and capabilities, but also deal with the memories they’d each rather wish they could have left behind.

Serena ached inside. It was more painful than the physical ache coming from her ankle. She hated her interactions with everyone, particularly Darien. It felt false, because it was false. She felt like she had multiple personalities, each fighting to be dominant: Princess Serenity, the daughter of Ken and Irene Tsukino, Sailor Moon and Serena Tsukino, the girl who had the memories of all these things, wishing for the peace she once had in her mind. She pulled herself up straighter against the lamppost and took a breath. She could make it home. Glancing left and right down the road, she saw no oncoming cars, so she limped uncertainly away from the lamppost and into the road. She considered putting more weight onto her foot to get her across the road but that proved to be a big mistake as she went tumbling into the road.

“Damn it!” she exclaimed, feeling her grazed hands thrum resting against the road’s surface.

Then a beam of light blinded her when she looked up and her eyes momentarily widened in horror as she watched what appeared to be a red sports car coming towards her. She found her breath when she noticed it slowing down as it neared. When it came to a stop, the door opened and she inhaled sharply in shock and readiness when she spied a pair of smart shoes get out and a large, black umbrella open up over the tall figure. It came around the corner and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Meatball Head?”

She frowned.

“Don’t call me that!” she found herself retorting.

“What are you doing out here?” Darien asked, hovering over her.

“Making a cake,” she replied sarcastically. “What do you think I’m doing?”

“Having had another clutz attack by the looks of it,” he commented. He crouched down, holding the umbrella over the both of them. “Are you injured?”

“I slipped in the rain,” she told him, wincing. She didn’t have the energy to argue his clutz attack comment. “I was going to Raye’s but there’s no way I could walk there, so I tried to walk home instead. I just fell in the road before you appeared.” She paused. “Is that your car?”

“Yes,” he answered. He took her elbow. “Come on, up you get.” He applied some pressure on her arm to encourage her to lift herself up and she obliged. She reached up with one of her hands to hold onto his arm, but she grimaced. “You’ve hurt your hands, haven’t you?” She nodded. “Hold onto the umbrella. I’ll help you up.” She took hold of the umbrella and he took her from under her elbows and lifted her up onto her feet easily. Her ankle angrily protested, and she swayed. Without hesitation, he wrapped his hand round her and helped her shuffle over to his car. He opened the door for her, taking the umbrella out of her hand. “Get in.”

Without another word, he shut the door on her and made his way to the driver’s side. He took down his umbrella and got in the car. He ran his fingers through his hair and carefully made his way through the rain. Serena stared into her lap, her hands thrumming and her ankle protesting at every little movement in the car. She couldn’t believe that she was in Darien’s car. She mused to herself how odd it was that they crossed paths, even in situations such as theirs when it seemed impossible. Something always seemed to pull them together and at that moment, she was grateful to it.

“So, why were you going to Raye’s when she was just with you all at the Crown?” Darien asked, making a right turn.

Serena looked at him in surprise.

“What?” he asked, when he glanced at her.

“Nothing,” she replied, looking away. “I was just going to see Raye because we all had a… disagreement.”

“About what?”

“Why are you taking so much interest?” she wandered.

“I thought it would be better to take your mind off the ache you’re most likely feeling,” he said shortly.

“Oh,” she murmured.

They rode in silence for a little while until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why were you driving around in the rain?” she asked. “I mean… I saw you at the Crown with Andrew.”

“As were you,” he pointed out, his grip on the steering group tightening ever so slightly.

Truthfully, he couldn’t tell her that he felt like he needed to be out in the rain as he felt like something was out there who needed him. If he started babbling about seeing things, he would be back in the hospital for very different reasons.

“You didn’t answer,” Serena hinted.

“Neither did you,” Darien smirked at her.

“Fair enough,” she replied. She squinted out of the window. “Where are we going?”

“I’ve no idea where you live,” he pointed out. “We’ll take care of your injuries at my place. I can then drive you home in the evening.”

She blinked at him.

“Why are you doing this for me?”

“I’m training in medicine,” he told her. “It would be out of practice for me if I didn’t help someone in need, even if she’s prone to falling over her own two feet.”

“I didn’t fall over my own feet!” she protested.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and she felt her stomach do a somersault. She recognised the glint he had in his deep indigo eyes. He was teasing her. She had no power to stop the small smile in response to that look. His smirk turned into a smile and he reached over with slight hesitation and held her wrist. He turned her hand over with his thumb and he frowned at the cuts and grazes on her palms. Bruising was coming up in the heel of her hand and he made a mental note to get ice for that to ease the pain she’ll feel over the next few days as it heals. He turned back to watching the road, little did he know that she continued to feel his touch long after he let go. It made his head feel fuzzy.

Serena knew where he lived, of course. However, she feigned ignorance and stared out of the window in wonder. Truth be told, it was in wonder. It had been so long since she’d last been down this area of the city. She hadn’t been able to bring herself down Darien’s neighbourhood. Missing him in her life was like missing a limb.

They pulled up outside of the apartment building and Darien jumped out, going round to her side of the car. He opened up her door, looking uncertainly at her. He offered her his hand, which she took, and she got out, standing on one leg. He bit his lip, looking like he desperately needed to laugh.

“What?” Serena asked, looking up at him from her 4 feet 11 stature with wide-eyed innocence.

“Do you plan to hop up to my apartment?” he asked seriously, the amusement evident behind his eyes.

“I can crawl if you prefer?” she offered.

“With the bruising on your hands?” Darien laughed. “Come on, Meatball Head.”

He let her grip onto his arm, while he supported her underneath her arm allowing her to lean on him as they shuffled forward. They eventually reached the entrance to his building and they looked at the lift in horror. A wide, gruff man was stood in front of the door, surrounded by a variety of tools and the electronics were on show for all to see.

“Excuse me,” Darien interrupted him. “Is the lift out of order?”

“Afraid so, sir,” he replied roughly. “At least until late this evening.” He glanced at the petite blonde in Darien’s grasp. “In a spot of trouble, pet?”

Darien looked between Serena and the engineer. “A suspected bad ankle,” Darien told him. “Thanks.”

They nodded to each other and Serena shot him a tentative smile on their way past. They went through a door and looked at the stairs with a sigh.

“This will be interesting,” Darien stated.

“How many flights do we need to go up?” Serena asked him.

“Three,” he answered. “Right, let’s give it a go.”

Awkwardly, they made their way up, one step at a time round the winding staircase. Serena attempted the one-legged hop, but that made her ankle scream with protest with the movement, so she stopped that. They got halfway and Darien stopped dead.

“Sorry, am I going too slow?” Serena apologised.

“It’s not that,” Darien told her. “I just don’t think this is helpful.”

“How else are we supposed to get up to your apartment?” Serena asked in exasperation. “Teleport?”

“Don’t be silly, Meatball Head.”

“I really hate that name.” She scowled at him.

“I know,” he smiled.

Then he bent towards her, looped his arms around her back and behind her knees and scooped her up bridal style.

“Darien!” Serena cried. “Put me down!”

Darien ignored her and flew up the remaining one and a half staircases and opened up the push door with his back and walked down the corridor. He reached a door familiar to Serena and he looked at her pointedly.

“I need to get my keys from out of my pocket,” he said.

“Well, I can’t help you with that,” Serena replied, feeling a little overwhelmed by how close they were.

“Hold onto me while I get them,” he ordered.

Serena pressed her lips together and she slid her arms around his neck. The familiar scent of sweet, delicate roses filled her nostrils and she felt that ache in her chest. She breathed in and out unsteadily as he unlocked the door.

“Are you okay?” he asked, while walking through the door of his apartment and kicking it closed with his foot.

“Y-yes,” she stammered.

He came to a standstill and reached up, his fingers curling round her forearms. She let go and he helped her down onto his couch. He looked at her questioningly, then shook his head as if to clear it.

“I’ll, err, get some things to treat your hands,” he said. “Remove your shoe and we’ll look at that ankle.”

She watched him disappear down the hall into what she knew was his bathroom then she turned her attention to her foot. She leaned over and untied her sopping wet sneaker. She pulled the heel of the shoe to take it off and cried out at the pain that shot up her leg. Darien appeared at the door with bottles, bandages and cotton pads in his arms.

“Are you okay?” he asked again.

“No,” she answered, with a wince.

“Let me help,” he suggested. He looked at her cardigan that was stuck to her skin. “Why don’t you take off that cardigan and I’ll get it dry on my radiator while we tend to this?”

She smiled gratefully and handed her cardigan over. He disappeared for a moment and came back into the living room with a jacket in hand.

“I thought you’d be cold,” he hesitated. He handed over a jacket. “Why don’t you put that on, and I’ll try not to hurt you as I take off your sneaker.”

She accepted the jacket from him and put it round her shoulders. It was a fleecy jacket that he used whenever he went out for a run in the morning. It smelled just like him. By this point, Darien was loosening the laces on her sneakers some more so it would be easier to remove, and he looked at her apologetically. He pulled her sneaker and it slid off her foot. He pulled her sock down past her heel and his eyes bugged in his eye sockets.

“Yikes, Meatball Head,” he exclaimed. “What exactly did you do? It’s like the size of a watermelon.”

Serena pulled a face.

“That’s put me off watermelons forever,” she muttered.

Darien turned to his kitchen, opened his freezer and came back over with a bag of peas in his hand.

“Peas?” Serena said, revolted.

“I’m not going to make you eat them, Meatball Head,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I just want something frozen to put against your ankle for an hour to help with the swelling and we will have your ankle elevated for a while until I take you home.” He put the bag against her ankle and she visibly winced.

“Ouch!” she cried, trying to move away.

“Don’t even try that, Meatball Head,” he warned. “I’ve dealt with far worse patients than you.” He held her leg in place and kept the bag of peas against her ankle, glaring at her, almost daring her to move. Next he took her hands and pressed his lips together. He took a bottle from the floor where he’d set down his armful of first aid and dribbled some antiseptic onto a cotton pad. He gently cleaned the wounds on her hands, much to her displeasure, then he applied some breathable plasters against her palms. “Just leave these on for the next six hours. It’ll stop anything getting into the open wound while they close up.” He disappeared from her side for a moment and came back with two small squares. Serena frowned at them questioningly. He took her hands and placed them in her palms. “Hold onto these. I always keep these little ice packs in my freezer. You never know when they’ll be helpful. It will help with the swelling.”

“Thank you,” she said in a small voice.

Darien peered at her. He turned and picked up his first aid lotions and potions and disappeared down the hall to put them away. His apartment was meticulously clean. It was just so _Darien_. Serena missed Darien. Her Darien. It was her fault that he was this way, again. He shouldn’t have to lose himself again and again, all because they fell in love many moons ago. It wasn’t fair.

The TV suddenly came alive making Serena jump. She looked over and saw Darien sat in an armchair with the remote in his hand.

“It’ll be some time until we can remove the ice,” he explained. “I thought it’d be better to fill the silence.”

“Probably,” she smiled weakly.

“Is something on your mind?”

She looked at him in surprise.

“What makes you ask that?”

“Usually, you never shut up,” he told her. “Even when you’re yelling at me.”

“I don’t yell at you,” she disagreed. “I just really hate the name Meatball Head.”

“You’re very easy to irritate,” Darien stated, sitting back in his chair.

“It doesn’t mean you need to be a jerk about it,” she grumbled.

“Touché,” Darien agreed. “So, do I ever get to find out why you were out in the rain?”

“No,” she replied. He threw up his hands in the air in defeat and sat back in his chair again, his jaw taut. “But someday I’ll tell you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a long time since I've updated this story. Please leave me your comments - I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm hoping to do more regular updates now for this story. Thanks for joining me here! - R

Amy expertly dived into the deep end of the swimming pool and felt a delicious thrill go through her as the water brushed against her skin. Her arms cut through the surface of the water as she quickly swam down the lane. As she neared the wall, she bent her head towards her chest, lifted her hips and forward rolled, kicking her feet against the wall and propelled herself back down the lane. She reached the end of the lane, gasping for air, resting her arms on the poolside.

“Wow, anyone would think you’re part fish,” a deep masculine voice interrupted her recovery.

Amy squinted up at the figure standing in front of her, the bright light shining in her eyes. She lifted a hand to see better and she pushed herself up straighter on her arms to look at the recipient of the voice. Her bright blue eyes widened as she flickered her eyes from the strong muscled thighs, trim waist, hints of abs and big shoulders. Her gaze met the cat-green eyes fixed on her. She noted his long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck which he somehow managed to pull off as very masculine.

Amy cleared her throat, a blush threatening to show at her cheeks.

“My friends say that,” she chuckled nervously. She braced her arms and leaped out of the pool. She turned to grab her towel, then took an abrupt step back when his hand reached her towel first. She looked at him, her eyes darting to her towel and back again. Silently, he handed her the towel. “Thanks.” She rubbed at her wet hair and flung the towel over her shoulder.

“Zane,” he said, introducing himself, holding his hand out with a smile.

Amy’s eyes considered his outstretched hand then slowly reached forward to grasp his hand and shook it gently.

“Amy,” she returned. She gestured to the pool with a nod of the head. “Do you swim here a lot?”

“Sure do,” he nodded, crossing his arms across his broad chest. “I compete in swimming with the school club.”

Amy nodded slowly, biting her lip, uncertain what to do next. It has been two years since her psychogenetic urticaria caused her to break out in hives. It was always the stress of receiving a love letter that brought her out in a rash and she learned quickly to not be near guys. It took her a long while to stop blushing when she was around Greg, but she felt something intense when she shook Zane’s hand. It was like he was still holding it and she could still feel his skin on hers. Her skin was left tingling.

“What school do you go to?” she eventually plumped for as a conversational starter.

“Juban High School,” Zane replied.

“Oh, so you’re the year above us,” Amy exclaimed. “Me and my friends.”

“I feel like I’ve seen you around before,” Zane mused, peering at her.

Amy ran her fingers through her dampened navy hair and shrugged.

“I take advanced programme classes at the high school,” she told him. “I’m in the last year in middle school and we’ll be joining the high school in a few months.”

Zane made to open his mouth then closed it. He glanced at the pool and back at her.

“Want to have a race?”

Amy bit her lip, her eyes flicking over his tall stature. She mentally shrugged it off, dropped her towel at the poolside and smiled with a nod.

“Oh, Chad!” Raye screeched, as a loud crash followed.

She stood with her hands on her hips, seething at the mess at the front of the temple. She stepped forward with an apologetic grimace to the customers stood in front of the stall selling charms, amulets and various other trinkets.

“I’m so sorry about the broken charms,” she said with a pained expression on her face. “Just bear with me for five minutes and I’ll get new ones from the within the temple.”

She gave them a smile as she spun on her heel and retreated into the temple. She sped down the corridors, stopping at each door to pop her head into the room, then continued on her way upon finding the rooms empty. Another crash sounded in the direction of her cleaning closet and she pursed her lips. She stood at the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Chad!” she yelled, gritting her teeth. “What are you doing?”

“Raye!” he exclaimed, dropping the dustpan and brush. He dived for them as they fell to the ground and he crashed his head on a shelf, the bottles of cleaning bottles tumbling down, one of which bounced off of Chad’s head.

“Chad,” Raye said firmly with little patience. She snatched the dustpan and brush off the floor and stood over him. “Go and help Grandpa in the back. I will deal with the mess _you _made at the front.” She turned, grabbing the broom by the door on her way out. “You should really go through training again with Grandpa,” she threw over her shoulder.

Chad watched Raye cross the corridor into the room directly opposite then come out with a box in her arms and make her way out of the temple to greet the customers again. He ran his fingers through his shoulder-length brown hair, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Every time Raye was around, he found himself turning into a useless jelly. It frustrated him when Raye yelled at him because he’d done another stupid thing. It wasn’t intentional. Not at all. Since his eyes first laid on her, he just felt something snap in him and he felt hollow when he wasn’t around her. She excited him. He yearned for her, to be better for her. He wasn’t kidding himself. She also terrified him. He would drop things, be clumsy with visitors to the temple, continue to amuse Grandpa Hino, despite Raye’s disapproval and find himself in a flap whenever he attempted to impress her. She had no idea of the effect she had on him.

“Hi, again,” Raye greeted the ladies grouped in front of the temple. “I’ve brought new stock out for you to choose from. There are gemstones, charms, amulets, crystals, dreamcatchers and the like here.” Her arm kept dipping into the box, laying them out on the table as the visitors started cooing over them. “If you’d like to have a browse while I sweep up the mess, then we can talk if you’d like to purchase.”

With the visitors occupied, Raye set about sweeping up Chad’s mess. He’d dropped a box full of crystal charms which had smashed on the floor. She huffed at the waste and bent down to collect the pieces onto the dustpan and dropped the lot into a binbag. She brushed the heel of her hand across her brow and her head snapped up when she heard the squawk of her crows, Deimos and Phobos. They had been with her for as long as she could remember. She often felt like she was in sync with them. When something was wrong, she knew that they felt it, too, which is why she instantly felt her senses heighten. She tensed as she turned to the entrance of the shrine at the top of the long staircase. She wasn’t aware of one of the ladies calling for her assistance as she was focused on waiting for someone to appear there. No one did.

“Miss Hino?”

Raye broke out of her reverie and smiled.

“I’m so sorry,” she excused herself. “I must have zoned out. Let me help you.”

She sold three charms, two dreamcatchers and an amulet. She encouraged each of the visitors to take a talisman each to keep them safe. She didn’t know if that was a step too far, but it went down well. She waved them off and set about organising the stall into the categories of merchandise. She turned at the sound of another squawk from the crows and she walked over to them.

“Do you sense it, too?” she murmured, crouching at their sides, sliding the backs of her fingers down the feathers of Deimos and Phobos. She sighed. “It’s like reverberations in the air. Something has been stirring up. I just wish I knew what.”

She glanced at the entrance to the shrine and sighed. She felt like someone was going to appear there, but she didn’t know why. She hadn’t spoken to the girls since the previous day when they were all at the Game Centre Crown and she’d left after their confrontation. She didn’t like talking about what was on her mind. She’d never been like that. It felt safer to keep things to herself. She saw more than the rest of them – they couldn’t understand what it was like to have precognition. Serena saw the world as she hoped it should be. Raye saw everything and everyone as they are, even when it’s hard and painful. She saw the truth. Truth is a beautiful and terrible thing and should therefore be treated with great caution. Caution was after all Raye’s greatest trait. It’s something she wasn’t sure the rest of the sailor soldiers could understand.

Amy gasped for breath as she leaned on her arms at the end of the swimming pool’s lane, keeping her head and shoulders above the water’s surface. It was an exhilarating race and with a perfect stranger no less. For her, nothing was like swimming in the Earth’s natural waters, without the chemicals and artificial smells but she was so often confined to the swimming pool among many other fellow swimmers who didn’t give her a second glance. The water was where she felt most at home. She felt her mind clear once she was enveloped in its depths. It was the only place that she felt like her real self and it was freeing and infinite.

“That was incredible,” Zane commented, easily jumping out of the pool, sitting at the poolside, leaving his legs hanging in the water. “I think we were neck and neck there. You’re good.”

“Thank you,” Amy smiled up at him. “I can’t believe I’ve never seen you here before.”

“We must have crossed paths,” he shrugged. “But I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for you. We must race again. We need a definite winner next time.” He paused, looking at her. “Why don’t you compete?”

Amy’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Honestly, I’m just so busy with my studies and my friends,” she replied, “I’m not sure I have time. At school, I’m already involved in the computer and chess club, so I’m pretty stretched as it is. I love to come to the pool to relax.”

“The way you swim, you’d think it was the equivalent of a mathlete for you,” Zane observed.

“What do you mean?” she asked, with a frown.

“You do it so effortlessly, but you put everything into it,” he elaborated. “I just had to ask you to race me to see if you were as good as I suspected. You should come to one of my swims meets.”

“Sure, why not?” Amy replied, surprising herself.

Serena tossed and turned in bed. She was dreaming about the fall of the Silver Millennium. She felt the pain of losing Prince Endymion to such corruptness and evil in the universe. She felt the pain of the sword being driven through her own gut by her own hand. She felt the grief, and the loss of her Lunarian mother and the Moon Kingdom. She heard the malicious cackle of Queen Beryl and the rage of Queen Metalia as the light of the moon drove out her darkness, giving everyone a second chance.

Serena groaned, turning onto her side.

He saw it. He squinted, staring at the creature in front of him. It was tall, wide and not at all human, despite its outward appearance of one, but he knew better. He could hear strangled yelps and cries for help, but no words could be heard. It was almost as if the silent cries were calling out to his heart, rather than his head. He stepped forward out of the shadows and the light of the moon shone on his ebony hair, setting off his midnight blue eyes handsomely. Once the moonlight shone on him, the figure turned to look at him and it was then that he saw the helpless figure of a young girl, with pale skin, and long, long silvery-white hair tied in two buns at the top of her head in flowing pigtails. His eyes were drawn to the golden crescent moon mark on her forehead, then his gaze met her azure blue eyes, reminiscent of the brightest skies he’d seen on Earth. What stopped him in his tracks was the long tongue from the creature’s mouth wound around the girl’s neck in a death grip.

_Your secrets will choke you all._

Darien shot up in bed. He took a moment to regain his breath. He looked out of the window up at the sky to see the moon shining down over the Juban district. It had always given him comfort and a sense of peace. Tonight, it made him feel uneasy. There was no explaining it.

Serena was stood on the balcony outside of her room and she gazed up at the moon. It was the oddest feeling. Her dream was almost prophetic… it just wasn’t her gift. She mused if this feeling of conflict and the heavy weight baring down on her shoulders was how Raye felt every minute of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

“Flower Hurricane!”

Flower petals swirled around Sailor Jupiter as she twirled around, shot her hands in front of her, blasting them at the enemy. The light caught the petals, highlighting the sting ready to penetrate the enemy, immobilising them just in time before the claws got within reach of Sailor Venus.

“Nice, Jupiter!” Venus shouted, shooting her a thumbs up. She inhaled sharply as she rolled out of the way as the long tail of the enemy shot round, narrowly missing her. She removed the chain from around her waist. “Venus love me chain!” she yelled, the golden heart links glowing rapidly sending out shocks at the bound enemy.

Sailor Mercury leaped up onto the sharp rock towering above them, quickly held her hands out in front of her, summoning a ball of water. “Mercury aqua mirage!” she called, the water glowing with the energy summoned from her home planet. The globe of water split in several streams of flowing water which shot at her target, immediately engulfing the creature in a large globe of water. Mercury kept one hand raised up, holding the attack in place as she then formed a large cloud of bubbles with the other. “Mercury ice bubbles freeze!” The temperature immediately dropped to well below freezing and the dome of water instantly froze.

Sailor Mars jumped down in front of the enemy, holding an ofuda in front of her face as she muttered chants into the talisman. She threw the ofuda at the dome while simultaneously yelling, “fire soul bird!” releasing a fireball from her index fingers. The fire engulfed the ofuda, taking on the shape of a phoenix. The phoenix made a piercing scream as it hurled a tremendous fire attack at the frozen dome.

The overwhelming heat blasted the frozen casing to pieces, shocking the enemy inside to fall to the ground. Sailor Mars held her hand out calling the phoenix back to her and with a flick of her wrist, the fire bird disappeared in a few flickers of flames. Sailor Moon held her tiara up and called on the astronomical body orbiting Earth.

“Moon twilight flash!” she cried, the red gem of her tiara shooting moonlight at the paralysed enemy on the floor.

The sailor soldiers watched as the enemy turned to dust, the wind blowing the remains away into the air. The turned to each other with a nod of the head. Sailor Mercury brought her Mercury goggles down over her eyes and murmuring “hyperspatial sphere terminate,” watching as the dimensional shield was brought down, effectively ending their battle simulation.

“That was better,” Mercury nodded in satisfaction.

“Yeah, I think we nailed the teamwork this time!” Venus agreed.

“Hey, nice work on using your Venus chain to save yourself from that tail,” Jupiter nudged her. “That could have hurt!”

“It needn’t have if Mercury hadn’t programmed it to have a biological make up of a scorpion,” Venus complained, narrowing her eyes at the blue-haired guardian who had her hand at her chest, turning back into her civilian form in a swirl of flower petals and ribbons.

“There would be no point to a simulation if I created a monster made of candyfloss,” Amy replied, putting her Mercury pen on the inside of her jacket.

“On that note, I’m starving,” Serena declared, having followed suit. “Let’s go to the Crown.”

“Well, there’s no arguing with that,” Mina agreed, feeling her stomach rumbling.

“Let’s go,” Amy nodded, following Serena who had shot in front with such enthusiasm that she led the way as was the norm for the group.

Lita caught Raye’s wrist. The priestess looked at the tall brunette questioningly.

“What is it, Lita?” she asked.

“We didn’t really get a chance to speak since the other day,” she said.

“Forget about it,” Raye shrugged. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Look, I’m sorry, Raye,” Lita apologised. “I came across too strong and actually, you were right. You have been doing more for the city than we have. It doesn’t matter what powers you are using or if other things have caused you to miss a training session. You are dedicated to our cause and I shouldn’t have pushed you.” Raye pursed her lips. “Are we cool?”

“You needn’t ask that, Lita,” Raye sighed. “It’s okay, really. I’m just not psyched that we’re having to do this again, that’s all.”

“I get that,” Lita replied, bringing her arm round her fondly. She paused and looked down at Raye. “Hey, why did you withdraw your fire bird?”

Raye looked up at her and swallowed, once again pursing her lips.

“It did its job,” she said shortly. “Come on. If we don’t get a milkshake in us soon, Serena will start whining.”

“Yeah, but at least it’s got her mind off her ankle!”

“Ha!” Raye scoffed. “It didn’t stop her slipping on that rock when she jumped out of the way of the enemy attack… though that could just be her natural klutziness.”

“It’s a toss-up,” Lita agreed, chuckling. “Come on. I’m ready for that shake!”

Andrew looked up from the counter when the girls all strode in with purpose. He grinned when Serena bounded over to him and slammed her hand down on the counter.

“Five shakes, if you please, Andrew!” she ordered, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

“Let me guess,” Andrew mused, holding his finger up in the air, “two strawberry, one mango, one banana and one chocolate milkshake.”

“You’re a star, Drew,” Serena winked with a grin. She twirled around, her long tresses of hair hanging down from the buns pinned at the top of her head whipping around as she did so, striding back over to the girls where they were all shimmying into their favourite booth. Serena used her hip to push Mina into the booth quicker and she plonked herself down. “Right, I’ve ordered.”

“Awesome,” Mina grinned.

“So, we need to talk about what we’ll be doing at our next study buddies,” Amy interjected.

“Amy, please,” Serena said in exasperation. “Let’s talk about _anything_ else!”

“Alright, I’ve got one,” Mina chirped, raising her hand. “Fancy joining me for a music night at this café a few blocks away in a few days?”

“Wait, is this the place you’d been trying to sing at for ages?” Lita asked.

“Yep,” Mina nodded, “and the owner finally agreed to let me join in on Thursday. There are other people who participate, various other bands, singers, even stand up comedians, which I presume are there to break up the night. It should be a lot of fun.”

“Aw, well, how can we say no?” Lita smiled.

Andrew appeared with a tray laden with five tall glasses filled with each of their milkshakes.

“Right, two strawberry milkshakes,” Andrew announced, placing the drinks in front of Raye and Amy, “a mango,” he continued, placing the said drink in front of Mina, “a banana,” handing the glass over to Lita, “and of course, a chocolate milkshake for Serena.”

“Perfect,” Serena said, flashing him a grin.

Variations of thanks were given from the girls and Andrew smiled back at them kindly. He turned to Serena.

“How’s the ankle these days? Feeling any better?”

Two days had passed since Serena had taken a fall in the rain and sprained her ankle. She hadn’t seen Darien since he’d driven her home that evening once the rain had eased off, but she’d remained at home the following day at the insistence of her mother. The girls had come to keep her company and she’d filled them in on her encounter with Darien, much to their amazement. She was yearning to see him again. She felt the ache everyday and it just got worse with time. Seeing him living without knowing the truth was horrendous. He should know but she knew she couldn’t tell him. It had to come to him when the time was right.

“It’s still not quite 100% but I don’t need to limp on it anymore,” Serena replied. “It just hurts if I circle my foot, or something like that. But I am feeling so much better, Andrew. Thanks for asking.” She glanced at the girls. “Have you seen Darien recently?”

Andrew raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I wouldn’t have expected you to wonder where he is,” Andrew pointed out, resting the drinks tray on the edge of their table.

“Well,” Serena hedged, “he was just so kind as to help me.”

“Actually, I haven’t seen him,” Andrew replied. “You must run in orbit. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made an appearance now you’re here.”

Serena gave him a pained smile.

“So, Andrew,” Mina said, turning to him, “we were just talking about Thursday. I’ve invited the girls to join me at this café a few blocks away as the owner is putting on music night. There’s a few bands, singers, even stand up comedy. It should be good fun. Do you want to come? You can bring Rita.”

“Which café?” Andrew asked, frowning slightly in thought.

“It’s ten minutes from here,” Mina told him. “It’s called Déjà Brew.”

Andrew’s face jolted in recognition.

“By a startling coincidence, I will be there already!” Andrew grinned. “Darien plays there.”

“He does?!” Serena exclaimed.

Everyone looked at her in shock at her outburst.

“Yes, Serena,” Andrew answered her, shooting her a funny look. “He plays the piano. He has for many years. He plays in numerous cafés across Juban.”

“Ah, that’s so cool!” Mina beamed. “We’ll all get to hang out.”

“Hang out?” Andrew repeated.

After all, as far as Andrew was concerned, no one but he hung out with Darien. The girls gave Mina an exasperated glare and Lita decided to speak up.

“I think she means it’ll be fun for us all to get together,” Lita put in. “It’ll give Serena a chance to thank Darien again for helping her.”

Serena gave Lita a gentle smile in thanks for dropping that in.

“Well, cool,” Andrew nodded, whipping the drinks tray under his arm. “It’ll be good fun. If you want any food, just let me know.”

Raye gave Mina a sharp kick from under the table.

“Ouch!” Mina yelped. “What was that for?”

“You know what for, big mouth,” Raye retorted.

“What?!” Mina glared, rubbing her leg.

“Andrew doesn’t know anything about our previous relationship with Darien,” Lita reminded her. “It was like the whole world just started again after our final battle with the Dark Kingdom.”

“Oh please,” Mina grumbled, “Andrew wouldn’t think anything about it.”

“Anyway,” Raye said, changing the subject, “I’d like you all to come over to the temple later as I want to do a fire reading.”

“Really?” Serena asked, raising her eyebrows, taking a long slurp of her milkshake.

Raye pulled a face at the noisy gulps that Serena was making while drinking her shake.

“Yes, really,” she replied irritably. “I feel a change in the air.”

“I thought you’d felt a change in the air when you first had that premonition at Lita’s,” Mina said, crossing her legs firmly out of the way of Raye’s feet.

“Oh, you know what I mean!” Raye spat, rolling her eyes.

Amy’s eyes were trained firmly on the book that she had retrieved out of her bag once Andrew had left their table. She quickly lost interest in the girls’ bickering, so she found no better time to continue her reading than now. However, she found her attention was being grabbed by whoever had walked through the door. She immediately recognised Zane striding into the Fruits Parlor Crown. His long dirty blonde hair was tied at the nape of his neck and he wore a button-down cornflower blue shirt, with the top three buttons undone. The colour only seemed to accentuate his broad shoulders. Amy found herself blushing and she flickered her eyes down to her book. She was acutely aware that he was at the counter ordering drinks. She forced herself to bring her attention back to the words on the page, but she soon found her eyes looking over the top of her book. She saw Andrew pushing four glass tumblers across the counter and she found herself wondering who they were for. _Why should she care?_However, the question of who they were for was soon answered by the three figures that strode into the café and made their way directly over to Zane.

The first had short, cropped golden hair, albeit not quite the colour of sunshine that Serena could boast. He was lean, with a trim waist, wearing a striking carmine red t shirt. His sharp jawline was easily his most striking feature. He was talking intensely with the guy at his side. He was remarkably huge, with massive shoulders, powerful arms and stood easily at six feet three. He had his thick, wavy maroon hair loose around his shoulders that hung to his mid-back. His dark blue eyes were easily one of his most defining features once you recovered from his powerful build. Behind them was the third of the group, and easily the tallest of them all. Each of them looked to be a year or so ahead of the girls at school, but remarkably, the third member had long white hair that hung about his shoulders, though it suited him. He appeared to have a dull, bored expression on his face but nevertheless, joined the others in greeting Zane.

Mina’s eyes followed Amy’s gaze and her eyes widened approvingly. She growled under her breath.

“Yum, yum,” she said, nudging Amy in the side. “See something you like?”

“What? No!” Amy objected in horror. “I just know the guy at the counter getting the drinks with his hair tied back. I met him at the pool the other day.”

“Oooh, totty!” Mina smirked.

“Mina!” Lita chuckled. “I must admit, that is a fine crowd.”

“I don’t recognise any of them,” Serena stated, joining her friends in observing the new group.

“Zane – the guy with the ponytail – told me that he’s the year above us. He’s at Juban High School. I presume that’s where the rest of his friends are enrolled.”

“You did a little more than take a dip then,” Mina teased, nudging Amy once again.

Amy blushed a deep crimson and buried herself in her book.

“Don’t be vulgar,” Raye frowned, pulling a face in disgust.

Mina laughed. She sucked the remainder of her milkshake up through her straw and sat back.

“Right, are we to head to the temple then?”

“Sure are,” Serena nodded. “Let me just grab some cakes from Andrew and we’ll go.”

She bounced up to the counter.

“Andrew,” she sang. He turned around, amused. “Can I grab five slices of cake to go?”

“Sure thing, Serena,” he replied. “Coming up.”

She nodded and bounced back, knocking into the tallest of Zane’s group. He stared down at her with penetrating blue-grey eyes. Serena frowned slightly at the sight of them. They gave her the strangest feeling of déjà vu, like she’d been looked at with that same stare.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she excused herself.

He nodded in acknowledgement, turning back to the group of guys behind her silently. He had a silent and calm air about him. It was all too similar to Darien and it unnerved her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some context on the Akuryo Taisan chant which Raye recites when she has an ofuda/talisman, seen in the manga and animé: the act of performing the mantra is meant to bring good luck to the practitioner, and it is also used in purification rituals.

Raye pulled her long raven hair back and wrapped the long blue ribbon round her hair to secure it in place in a long ponytail. She rolled her eyes when she recalled how she ended up with this ribbon.

_“Sun… Moon… Stars,” she murmured, the warmth of the fire licking at her face. “The forces of the universe are united together in the fight against evil.” She poised her fingers in front of her and started the Akuryo Taisan chant, channelling her energy into the flames. “Rin, Py­_ _ō_ _, T_ _ō_ _, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!”_

_Her violet eyes opened to stare into the blaze. Flashing images appeared before her eyes: the light of the Moon being blocked out by something unknown, the dying embers of a phoenix, the people of the city scattering, a wilting rose…_

_A loud crash made Raye jump in fright. Turning, she witnessed Chad flying through the door, tripping over the rug in the middle of the room and careering over a coffee table, sending the vase stood in the middle of it crashing to the floor. She leaped up to her feet, her eyebrows pulled down into a frown._

_“Chad,” she seethed, her nostrils flaring, hands on hips, “what are you doing?”_

_Chad stumbled to his feet clumsily, raking his fingers awkwardly through his shaggy hair._

_“You’ve been in here for three hours, Raye,” Chad told her. “I’ve… me and Grandpa have been worried. There’s some food for you waiting in the kitchen if you want it.” He brought his hands to his waist and untied a ribbon from his light blue hakama. “Here,” he offered, handing the ribbon over, “take this. For your hair. You don’t want to catch it.”_

_Silently, Raye accepted it, and watched as he departed and disappeared down the corridor. She didn’t know it, but a faint blush now adorned her cheeks. She felt herself warm at his gesture, but the new warmth had nothing to do with the heat from the fire._

She shook her head at the memory and turned to the package that she’d placed in her room for after she’d completed her morning chores. She reached for a pair of scissors, opening them wide and sliced the Sellotape so that she could open the box. She carefully pried open the bubble wrap and found inside a beautifully sculpted vase. A piece of card fell out of the box, landing on the floor. She bent down to pick it up and read.

“For Raye,” it read, “this one isn’t a failure. I hope it replaces the one you lost. Kengo.”

Raye smiled. Kengo, her cousin, was a potter. She thought about how he would go into a fit and destroy all of his creations when he considered them a failure. She remembered stopping him from destroying a beautiful ceramic fire bird necklace when she was young, and he promised to make her something better if she promised to keep it safe. She did, but she continued to wear it, even after he had created her some more beautiful gifts at birthdays or special occasions. For her, this ‘failure’ was every bit as perfect as he considered it imperfect. The imperfections are what made it beautiful for her.

She stood with the new vase in hand and walked over to the room that housed the great fire, crossing the room to where the coffee table had been relocated to avoid any future potential accidents as Chad’s. She placed the vase in the middle of the table and stood back to admire it. She nodded with a smile, then a faint frown crossed her features when she heard the call of her Deimos and Phobos at the front of the temple.

She stepped outside, glancing at the stall where the temple sold all manner of charms, talismans and various other trinkets, seeing no one manning it. She did, however, see a young man, approximately a little older than herself and easily 11 inches taller with short blonde hair examining the talismans on the turntable stand. She cleared her throat.

“Can I help you with something?”

He turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes widening momentarily at the sight of her.

Raye’s eyebrows raised in surprise when her eyes caught hold of his grey ones. It just couldn’t be.

“Jadeite?” she asked in disbelief. “Is that you?”

“Sorry, no,” he replied, confusion flickering across his face. “You must have me mistaken with someone else. The name’s Jackson.” He held his hand out to shake hers. “You must be Raye.”

She slowly extended her hand to shake his and she looked at him quizzically.

“How do you know my name?” she asked. “Have we met before?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t have forgotten you if we had,” he chuckled, releasing her hand. “I’d heard of the beautiful shrine maiden up at the Cherry Hill Temple and I was curious.”

“You came here to see me, someone you haven’t met before?” she stated, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Not quite,” he laughed, nodding to the talismans at the side of him. “I actually came for a few of these, but it didn’t hurt.”

“Fair enough,” Raye nodded, moving behind the stall. “Did you already have any particular ones in mind?”

Silently, he handed over five, cash already in hand. She smiled at him, handing back the change and the talismans in a paper bag.

“Thanks,” he grinned, “I’ll see you around.”

Raye watched him descend the stairs. That was a _lot _of eye contact. Those grey eyes were just so familiar to her, but it seemed she was mistaken. She looked at Deimos and Phobos who were pecking at the ground hopefully, occasionally stamping on the ground with their feet to bring the insects up to the earth so they could get at them. It was funny. The crows hadn’t squawked a single sound of distress in all the time Jackson had been here.

As Jackson reached the bottom of the long staircase that led up to the temple, he mused to himself his first meeting with Raye. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He certainly wouldn’t forget those vibrant violet eyes in all the years to come.

Serena bounced into the Game Centre Crown with Mina in tow. The two blondes immediately claimed their favourite car racing game and challenged each other to a win that will give the other bragging rights for life. The noise they made inevitably drew Andrew’s attention and he made his way over.

“Hey girls,” he greeted them. “Keeping it quiet I see.”

They both looked up between their seats to see Andrew with each arm over the back of each chair, smirking at them. The girls visibly sweat dropped but nevertheless couldn’t help the giggles erupting from within them.

“Sorry, Andrew,” Mina laughed. “Blame Serena. She really sucks at this game.”

“Excuse me,” Serena retorted, affronted, “_sucks_?”

“Yes, Meatball Head,” she winked.

“I really hate that name!” Serena snapped.

“Well, it doesn’t make it any less true,” Darien’s voice interrupted their bickering.

Serena looked up in surprise at Darien hovering behind them, peering over Andrew’s shoulder at the scores on the screen. He visibly cringed at the sight on the screen.

“Wow, Meatball Head,” he commented, “you do suck at this game.”

“I’d like to see you do better,” she retaliated, the challenge evident in her voice.

“Alright,” he shrugged.

Mina’s baby-blue eyes flickered between the two of them, then settled on Andrew.

“Do I dare?” she asked the amused arcade worker.

“Oh, you dare,” Andrew replied, amused.

Mina jumped out of her seat, allowing Darien to occupy it, sitting beside Serena. They chose their players and their car, then started a race. Andrew and Mina watched from behind them, their eyes glued to the screens. They both looked at each other in amazement after the first lap when Darien retained first place, easily manoeuvring the twists and turns, passing Serena within the first 30 seconds of the race after she crashed into a tree. In the second lap, Serena managed to escape the tree’s clutches and catch up, but not before Darien sped off leaving her in his wake of dust. Mina bit her lip in an effort to stop herself from bursting with laughter at the sight of Serena’s tongue stuck out in concentration. They reached the last lap and Andrew couldn’t help himself.

“What?” he exclaimed. “Darien, why did you stop?!”

“If I cross the finishing line now, we’ll have to wait another minute for Meatball Head to catch up.” He paused. “And that’s another tree injured.”

“Can it, you jerk,” Serena grumbled.

They finished the race with Darien sarcastically letting his car go forward the last few metres to cross the finishing line. Serena rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Well, that was tragic,” Mina stated, her lip quivering with the effort to not laugh at her friend’s expense.

“Don’t fan the flames, Mina!” Serena said in horror.

“Come on,” Darien reasoned, “nothing could make that performance worse than it already is!”

“I need a milkshake,” Serena announced, getting to her feet.

Darien stopped her.

“What?” she snapped defensively.

“How’s the ankle?” he asked, ignoring her.

“Oh,” Serena mumbled, her face softening. “It’s much better, thank you. Almost like new.”

“Well, you haven’t crashed into me in the past few days since I saw you in the rain with an ankle the size of a watermelon, so that’s progress,” Darien teased her gently.

“Oh please, stop,” Serena grimaced. “I still can’t look a watermelon in the eye.”

“Thankfully they lack eyeballs,” Darien said with a straight face.

“Very funny,” Serena replied drily.

The sound of beeping from deep within Serena’s pocket cut across Darien when he made to speak, promptly grabbing Serena’s attention. Her hand shot into her pocket to retrieve her communicator and looked at the screen briefly. Her head shot up to look at Darien.

“I’ve got to dash,” she told him regretfully. “I’ll see later.”

Darien watched as she turned around, calling for Mina to come with her. At the door, Serena glanced back at him, visibly sighing, then followed Mina out of the door. He pursed his lips in thought and strode over to the counter where Andrew was wiping down the tabletop.

“Hey, Drew,” he greeted his friend, “would you mind pouring me a coffee?”

“You should try something different, Darien,” he suggested.

“Why?” he frowned.

“Because you’ve got the tremors again,” he pointed out, nodding at his friend’s hands.

Darien promptly swept his hands out of sight and into his lap.

“What would you suggest then?” he asked irritably.

“What about Serena’s milkshake?” Andrew offered. “She dashed off before she had it.”

“Yeah, that was weird,” Darien agreed. He eyed the chocolatey beverage in Andrew’s hand, and he gestured he bring it to him. “Sure, I’ll take it. Cut me off after this one though. I don’t need meatball brains before my exam tomorrow.”

“I thought that was next week?”

“Nah, tomorrow morning,” Darien shrugged, taking a sip of the milkshake, then almost gagged on the sweetness of it. “Blimey! It’s no wonder that girl appears to be running on air. This is the equivalent of a vitamin B12 shot!”

“Maybe you should make this your new regular order,” Andrew suggested.

“If I want diabetes and a whole load of cavities, sure,” Darien said flatly, pushing the drink away from him.

“Serena would say your loss,” Andrew chuckled.

“I think I’ll have a coffee,” Darien grimaced.

“Coming right up,” Andrew threw over his shoulder.

Serena and Mina arrived at the shrine at the same time as Lita and they raced up the stairs to join Raye and Amy who were stood at the top of the steps somewhat impatiently.

“What is it?” Lita demanded immediately.

“What’s so urgent?” Serena and Mina asked simultaneously.

The three of them looked at Raye and Amy expectedly. Raye and Amy glanced at each other then looked at the three girls with regret on their faces.

“We think that something is happening,” Raye started.

“Did you see something?” Serena interrupted.

“It might be best if we all convene inside,” Amy suggested, clutching her Mercury computer closer to her.

“Fair point,” Lita nodded. “Onwards girls.”

They all sat around the table on large cushions on the floor in Raye’s spacious dining room where the group tended to do study buddies. Raye was the last one in, using her foot to push the door closed, letting Lita relieve her of the weight of the jug full of fruit punch. She came over and handed out a glass for each of the girls and herself, while Lita filled them all up.

“Right, so to sailor business,” Raye announced. She wasn’t the only one who felt their shoulders tense at the meaning of her words. “I did another reading this afternoon as Chad interrupted me the other day. This time the reading was clearer. Something is infiltrating the planet, and maybe even the solar system’s power. It’s almost like it’s drowning out the light, suffocating it. I can’t see what exactly it is, which is why Amy was here before you guys.”

“I did a reading on my Mercury computer,” Amy continued, opening up the mini laptop and tapping into it. “I’ve found readings on Earth that there is bad energy here in Tokyo. My mother…” she sighed, “my mother told me that there have been more cases at the hospital. More people are coming in with illnesses with no apparent cause.”

“What happened to them?” Serena asked, a deep frown between her eyebrows.

“Not one of them has woken up,” Amy told the group.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author disclaimer: the songs used in this chapter respectively are Lady Antebellum's Oceans and The Script's The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
> 
> This story was inspired by The Script's song and I hope you can see why.

It was but a whisper. “Darien.”

The breeze blew through the open door to the balcony, ruffling his hair slightly. He turned over, mumbling quietly under his breath.

“Darien,” she whispered an octave higher.

He looked around him at the surroundings and noticed the ethereal glow that defined the ambience. It was perhaps the most familiar thing to him, more so than home. The light was different from the brilliance of the sun that shone down from the sky on Earth. Here, he felt the light and warmth in a different way. On Earth, it was only skin deep, but here, wherever he was, it went deep. He felt the radiance from deep inside him where the sun could not reach. He turned and the brightest pair of eyes, so deep that they could suck you in, met his own stormy blue eyes and he felt a chill race round his system, causing him to stagger as his head went fuzzy.

“Darien.”

He felt the faintest breath of air against his ear and his eyes shot open in shock. He sat upright in bed, rubbing his eyes. The quickest flash of long golden tresses caught his eye at the door leading to his balcony, but it was gone once his eyes adjusted. It was like a dazzling light, something not quite captured on a visible spectrum and easily missed, but nevertheless was always there. The way the light bounced off the waves of gold felt so familiar to him that it almost hurt. He rubbed his eyes again, running his fingers quickly through his ruffled ebony locks. He sighed, glancing at his bedside clock which read 5:30am. There was nothing for it. He would never get back to sleep, so he jumped up and threw on his vest, shorts and trainers. He threaded his arms through a hoody that hung over a chair and he left his apartment. He raced down the stairs and out into the open air and he ran through the neighbourhood.

Serena trudged along the pathway, making her way to the Crown Arcade. Her mother had jumped in shock when Serena appeared in the kitchen dressed and ready for the day at 8am. It was Thursday and Serena used the excuse that she was meeting the girls before school. The truth was that she had not slept well and found herself unable to return to the sweet serenity of sleep, so she admitted defeat and here she was on her way to the Crown. She rubbed at her eyes where the faintest hints of lack of sleep were evident. She walked through the doors and grinned when she spotted Andrew wiping down an arcade game.

“Serena!” he exclaimed in surprise. “You’re here early.” He glanced at the calendar hung up on the wall. “And on a school day. Am I missing something?”

“Don’t,” she grimaced. “I just didn’t sleep. Can you hit me up with a hot chocolate? I’m going to school in half an hour. Ms Haruna might finally ease up on me when I’m early for once.”

“Sure thing,” he smiled. He walked around to the other side of the counter and set about preparing her drink. “So, are you looking forward to later?”

Serena looked up from her seat at the counter at Andrew whose back was facing her as he prepped her order.

“Yeah, Mina hasn’t let us forget it’s happening,” Serena returned. “It’ll be good fun. We haven’t done anything like this in a while and Mina might finally chill out once she gets the chance to sing in front of an audience.”

“Ah, yes,” Andrew mused. “She really wouldn’t let up when she was begging me to let her sing in the café upstairs. We just don’t do that kind of thing in the family business, so I had to say no. I felt really bad about it to be honest. She wouldn’t stop glaring at me whenever she came in.”

“She got over it,” Serena said, shaking her head. Andrew pushed the hot chocolate across the counter towards her. Her mouth spread into a brilliant smile. “Thank you, Andrew,” she smiled gratefully, reaching forward greedily.

The automatic doors opened, and a breeze blew through them, wafting over Serena, playfully blowing strands of hair across her face. She looked up in time to see Darien do a 180 degree turn in the doorway and walk back outside before walking back in again uncertainly. He stared at Serena as if she’d grown a third meatball between her twin buns pinned up on her head. She frowned at him.

“What?”

“Did I just step into a parallel dimension where Meatball Head is responsible and not having to crash into everyone on her usual dash to school?”

“Ha-ha,” Serena retorted sarcastically.

Darien crossed the room and sat on the stool next to her at the counter, gesturing to Andrew his usual order which Andrew shot a thumbs up in response. He turned to her.

“So, why are you here before school?” he asked, curious.

“Rubbish sleep,” she shrugged. “There was no use in staying in bed, so I thought I may as well get a chocolate high before school.”

“I’m glad to see it’s not a milkshake,” Darien commented, eyeing her drink sat between her hands. “Those milkshakes have enough sugar in to give you the shakes all day, never mind a chocolate high. I couldn’t get past the first throatful.”

Serena smirked, slowly turning to look up at him.

“You had a milkshake?”

“Blame Andrew,” he shrugged. “You left him with an untouched milkshake, and he said I drink too much coffee and handed me yours. I think I gained a cavity by putting my lips on the glass alone.”

Serena’s eyes flickered to his lips and she gulped. She mentally shook it off and breathed in and out steadily. Then she smirked.

“Well, look at you,” she teased him, “loosening up. I didn’t know you knew how.”

“He doesn’t,” Andrew interjected, handing Darien’s coffee over. “It took a little persuading, but even then, it failed. He rejected my chocolate shake.”

Serena looked horrified.

“I don’t know why,” she sighed. “They really are the best shakes.”

Andrew grinned, turning from the pair to grab his broom to start sweeping up before footfall increased during the day. Darien looked at Serena out of the corner of his eye.

“So,” he hedged, “why couldn’t you sleep?”

She started. Her eyes met his and she felt herself get sucked in by them. She missed his eyes. She wished that he would remember her, that he could remember her. He was living a lie and that’s what kept her up at night.

“Bad dream, I guess,” she replied dismissively. She knocked back her drink so that her mug was emptied of the remains of her hot chocolate. She was acutely aware that Darien was staring at her thoughtfully. “What are you staring at?”

“Nothing,” he replied quickly. “It’s just… you look tired.”

She scratched her forehead slowly, moving her bangs out of her eyes and sighed.

“I can’t say you’re looking anymore fabulous,” she pointed out.

“Bad dream, I guess,” he echoed with a smile.

Serena pursed her lips and glanced at the clock on the wall. She jumped to her feet.

“I better go,” she announced, “or I’ll be late and getting up early would have been pointless. I guess I’ll see you later at Déjà Brew.” She waved in Andrew’s direction. “Bye, Andrew!” she called over to him and made her way out.

Darien watched her leave through the doors and stared in fascination as the light of the sun hit the golden strands of hair that fell in long tresses from the buns pinned at the top of her head. It’s funny but it gave him that déjà vu feeling. He slowly sipped at his coffee thoughtfully, thinking about how her eyes were like an ocean that you could dive into. His head felt fuzzy again and he shook it off. Then her words caught up to him and he coughed on his mouthful of coffee, spitting his drink out all over the countertop.

“She’s going to be at Déjà Brew tonight!” he exclaimed.

Andrew looked at his friend startled and rushed over with a cloth and disinfectant, quickly getting to wiping down the side to clean off Darien’s spit take from the work surface.

“What’s up with you?” he asked in exasperation.

“You didn’t tell me that Serena was going to be at the café later!” he accused him.

“I didn’t realise I needed to,” Andrew defended himself, taking note that Darien hadn’t called the aforementioned girl by his usual nickname for her. “Besides, the girls will all be there as Mina will be taking part in the night.”

He watched in both amusement and puzzlement as Darien’s head came crashing down on top of the counter a number of times in despair.

***

Serena breathed a sigh of relief as the bell rang signalling the end of the school day. She gathered her books together and slid the lot in her bag, making her way out of the classroom. As she strode down the corridor, she was suddenly aware of two arms looping around each of hers. She looked to each side to find Mina and Lita clinging to her with joy all over their faces.

“Hey girl,” Lita grinned. “Are we ready for this night or are we ready for it?”

“I’m glad school is over,” Serena grinned back. “Let’s go to Raye’s and get ready there. We need to get out of these uniforms.”

“Have you seen Ames?” Mina asked. “I haven’t seen her since lunch.”

“We shared Biology together this afternoon, but I think she said that she’s got a computer lab now, so she’ll meet us at the temple,” Lita told them.

The girls reached the temple and eventually arrived at the top of the stairs. For once, all was quiet at the Cherry Hill Temple. The girls exchanged glances with each other at this unexpected event and moved cautiously forward, knocking on their way in. Raye’s head popped out of her bedroom.

“Oh, it’s you guys!” she exclaimed. “Come on in. I’m almost ready.”

They walked in to find Raye dressed in a pair of shorts, peasant top and sandals at her feet. Her long raven hair was in a long braid that rested on her shoulder with a blue ribbon threaded through her hair.

“Wow, Raye,” Serena praised, “you look amazing.”

“Thanks,” Raye smiled. “Come on. It’s time for you all to get changed. I’ll go grab some drinks while we wait for Amy to join us, then we’ll head to the café.”

“Is that ribbon from the temple?” Mina asked the girls once Raye had left the room.

“It looks like it could be,” Lita shrugged. “Why?”

“I’ve just never seen Raye wear one like that before,” Mina replied. “I just wondered why the change.”

She flung her school uniform off like she was a professional stripper and slipped her pumpkin orange dress on. She brushed her hair through and retied her customary red ribbon into a neat bow. Raye appeared with five glasses and a jug of lemonade. Mina’s head immediately shot round to look at the priestess.

“Is that one of the shrine’s ribbons in your hair, Raye?”

Lita and Serena exchanged glances, raising an eyebrow at each other.

“It is,” Raye nodded. “Why?”

“I’ve just never seen it before,” Mina replied.

“That girl doesn’t miss a thing,” Lita murmured to Serena who giggled in response.

“Chad gave it to me if you must know,” Raye grumbled, narrowing her eyes at Mina whose eyes had lit up at the knowledge. “He didn’t want me to burn my hair on the great fire and I’ve found it convenient.” She pointedly looked at Mina’s school uniform thrown on her floor. “Mina, do you mind?”

“Oh, sorry,” Mina laughed. “Thanks for the lemonade.” She glanced at the clock on Raye’s bedside table and she grinned. “Not long until Amy will join us now. I can’t wait to get going. It’s been so long since I’ve had the chance to perform.”

“Raye, have you done anymore readings?” Serena asked, slipping her uniform in her bag and picking up a glass.

“Nope, not since we all had a sailor meeting,” she said, shaking her head. “Nothing would have improved. That would be wishful thinking. Inevitably, things will just unfold in time.”

“Yeah, but I wish we could be more prepared,” Serena mused. “Are we going to do another battle simulation soon?”

“I think Amy’s in the throes of programming a new one on her Mercury computer,” Raye replied. “It’ll be interesting to see what she’ll come up with.”

“Yeah, but she’s also had some really terrible ideas,” Mina interjected. “Remember that weird monster Amy created that was made out of candyfloss?”

“Even I couldn’t take that seriously,” Serena laughed. “I’m not sure even the Negaverse would have come up with something so insane.”

“If I recall,” Lita smirked, “it just gave us a serious case of the munchies.”

“Ah, that was a good time,” Serena mused, thinking about the huge amount of food they’d chowed down on afterwards.

“So, how are you feeling about seeing Darien later?” Raye asked, nudging Serena.

“Actually, I saw him this morning before school,” she revealed. “It was fine but I just… I wish he had knowledge of who he really is. You know, I didn’t even know that he played the piano!”

The girls exchanged glances and looked back at their leader sympathetically.

“Hey, he’s come back to you before,” Lita reminded her, nudging her other side gently.

“It just feels like it’s our life,” Serena said sadly, “losing each other time and time again.”

“Look, we’re gonna have fun,” Mina told her. “Let’s just forget about how much stuff sucks and just be five teenage girls for once.”

“That sounds kind of nice,” Serena agreed.

“Hello!” Amy called, appearing in the doorway. The girls looked up and smiled at their fifth member. “Sorry, I’m late. I got here as quick as I could once lab ended.”

“You’re right on time,” Raye dismissed it. “Here, have some lemonade. We were going to go soon. We were just agreeing that we were going to put sailor stuff to one side tonight.”

“Sounds good to me,” Amy nodded, accepting her drink.

***

“You alright, Dare?” Andrew asked, putting three glasses down on the table. “You’ve been fidgety all day since you were in the arcade this morning.”

“It’s nothing,” Darien shrugged, accepting his drink.

“Are you nervous about performing?” Rita asked, swirling her straw round in circles in her glass.

“No,” he shook his head. “I’ve done this a couple of times now.”

The truth was that yes, he was. He hadn’t given tonight much thought until Serena dropped the bomb this morning that she would be present. He had no idea why it got to him. It was just Meatball Head. Meatball Head who seemed to be everywhere he went.

“Well, I look forward to socialising outside of the Crown for once,” Rita announced.

“Hear, hear,” Darien echoed, tilting his glass towards her.

“Oh look,” Andrew exclaimed, “here come the girls!”

Darien turned round quickly, not noticing that his hand caught the top of his glass, knocking it over. Rita leaped to her feet as the contents of his glass was quickly creeping across the table, threatening to fall off the edge and into their laps.

“Darien!” she yelped. “Quick, get some serviettes.”

Darien looked down in horror.

“Oh, tripe,” he responded. “I’m so sorry, guys.”

“It happens,” Andrew said, waving his apology away. Then his face lit up when Serena bounced over. “Hey, girls. Glad you came!”

“Of course!” Mina said affronted. “I’m just going to head up for a quick sound test.”

She disappeared and Serena’s gaze dipped to the mess on the table which Darien and Rita were desperately trying to clean up with handfuls of serviettes.

“What happened here?” she asked, taking a seat next to Darien.

“Darien knocked over his glass,” Andrew replied, taking a sip from his own.

“And he calls _me_ a clutz,” Serena grumbled, giving Darien the side eye.

“It must have been that milkshake of yours that Andrew gave me,” Darien retorted.

“Mate, you had one mouthful,” Andrew laughed.

“And that was enough to give me tremors,” Darien snapped.

“You already had them,” Andrew pointed out.

“Can it, Drew,” Darien frowned. “I’m going to grab another drink.”

“What was that about?” Serena asked, watching him leave.

“No idea,” Andrew shrugged. “He’s been antsy all day.”

“That’s not like him,” Serena mused.

“Oh, look,” Rita pointed, “Mina is on stage now.”

“Just in time,” Lita announced, arriving at the table with drinks in her hands with Raye in tow. They distributed the drinks to the rest of the girls and sat down. “Is Darien sitting here?”

“Well, he was,” Andrew nodded. “I suspect he’s gone up to wait for his turn to perform. This should be good. He’s a great pianist.”

“He’s singing, right?” Rita asked.

“He is,” Andrew nodded. “That doesn’t happen often!”

“Ssh,” Lita hushed them, flapping her hands at the group. “Mina is on.”

They watched as Mina turned to the small band congregated behind her. She leaned over and murmured in the ear of the pianist sat poised at the grand instrument.

“Hey, didn’t Mina go out on a date with the pianist?” Lita asked the others, squinting at the pair of them at the front.

Raye shrugged. “Just don’t ask us if we know his name because I have no idea. I’m not sure I could point out her old dates if they were stood in a line up.”

Serena and Lita burst out laughing and Amy giggled behind her fingers. The piano started a gentle riff and Mina gave the café a gentle smile before opening her mouth to sing.

_How can someone stand so damn close  
And feel like they're worlds away?  
I can see your sad story eyes  
So how do you have no words to say?  
All I want is to fall in deeper  
Than I've ever been, why won't you let me?  
I can handle your heart, so help me_

“Does Mina really date a lot of guys?” Andrew asked with interest. Rita also sat forward to listen in, the interest clear on her face.

“Oh yeah,” Lita nodded. “We’ve no idea why. She didn’t used to serial date. We can’t really keep up with who she’s dating to be honest.”

“Wow,” Rita commented, impressed. “I wouldn’t have thought it looking at her.”

“I guess not,” Lita nodded.

Serena sat watching Mina sing. A great deal of the café had turned to talk to their companions and partake in a drink or two with their company. She spotted Darien’s dark hair over the heads of a couple of people who were in the way of her direct line of vision of him. His tall stature always helped her find him.

_Here you are, next to me  
So much beauty at my feet  
All I wanna do is swim  
But the waves keep crashin' in  
No, I'm not afraid to drown  
Take me out, take me down  
I'm so tired of the shore  
Let me in, baby  
You're an ocean, beautiful and blue  
I wanna swim in you_

Serena took a long drink from her straw and noted how a couple of people were subconsciously shaking their heads or tapping their foots in time with the music. It made quite a lovely ambience.

“Mina looks so happy in the spotlight, doesn’t she?” she observed, nudging Raye.

Raye smiled in response.

_Like a lighthouse, I've been shinin' bright  
Through the dark for the both of us  
And, "I've done it outta love" is not enough  
But God, how I wish it was  
And I don't wanna find out  
How much lonely I can take, before you lose me  
Baby, look at me and swear you won't lose me_

_I can't let it go  
From moments in your arms  
But they come back again  
The waves, the waves, the waves, the waves  
The waves, the waves, the waves, the waves_

The music ended and Mina gave a short bow, giving a quick wave in thanks as she stepped off the stage to the applause thanking her for her performance. She bounced across the room to join the group and plonked herself down next to Serena.

“That was great, Mina,” Serena proclaimed, grinning, throwing her arms around her. “That was really beautiful.”

“Thanks, Sere,” she beamed, taking up her drink and gulping down mouthful after mouthful. “Ooh, look a guy is getting up to do some stand-up comedy.”

“Well, this could either be great or really terrible,” Andrew said drily. “But yes, nicely done Mina. You seem to really belong on stage performing.”

“It’s her lifelong dream,” Amy told him, “to be a superstar.”

“Well, she’s already on her way there then,” he smiled.

They turned back to the stage to listen in on the comedy. They shared a few giggles, but he was no Chris Rock. They watched him return to his seat to a polite applause and then they saw Darien rise to his feet. The stage was clear, with all but him seating himself in front of the piano. There was no dramatic pause or hush in anticipation. In typical Darien fashion, he went right into the song and his fingers seamlessly swept over the keys in the opening bars. Serena found herself totally entranced as she watched him play. Then he opened his mouth.

_Going back to the corner where I first saw you  
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag I'm not gonna move  
Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand  
Saying, "If you see this girl can you tell her where I am?"_

_Some try to hand me money, they don't understand  
I'm not broke I'm just a broken-hearted man  
I know it makes no sense but what else can I do  
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you_

Serena swallowed. She always felt like she and Darien were on the same wavelength. He was able to read her without hearing her thoughts, know when something was bothering her without her voicing it and how she felt even from afar. Even now, it felt like he was saying exactly what she was feeling, how she hoped he felt deep down, unable to reach her in the throes of amnesia, living a lie.

_'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me  
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be  
Thinkin' maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet  
And you'll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street  
So I'm not moving, I'm not moving_

_Policeman says, "Son you can't stay here"  
I said, "There's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year"  
Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows  
If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go_

Serena felt Raye’s hand fall on hers, squeezing her fingers gently. She curled her fingers to squeeze back her thanks to her best friend for offering comfort. Raye always knew when Serena felt the most pain.

“Wow, he’s good, isn’t he?” Rita whispered to the group in awe.

Andrew nodded knowingly.

“He needed a healthy escape from his constant world of intense studying and brooding, so he was recommended music,” he told the collective table. “It rather suits him actually. It’s even better when he dons a tuxedo. He looks like he was made for the part!”

The girls all exchanged knowing glances, a mixture of amusement, apprehension and sadness. The irony of Andrew’s statement wasn’t lost on them. They may be the fearsome fivesome, making up the collective protectors of the inner solar system, but they were missing the key figure who watched over Earth itself.

_'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me  
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be  
Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet  
And you'll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street  
So I'm not moving, I'm not moving  
I'm not moving, I'm not moving_

_People talk about the guy that's waiting on a girl  
There are no holes in his shoes but a big hole in his world_

Raye wasn’t just comforting Serena. It was for her too. She was reminded everyday of losing someone she loved, whether that was when she tapped into her Martian powers, or saw two people out on a date, or simply seeing what Serena was suffering through. It was uncomfortable but it was real. Each of the girls knew what it was like to lose their beau, but each dealt with it differently. Mina serial dated, Amy dealed and continued with her life, studying, swimming, getting her head into the game of protecting the city, and Lita moved on. After having lost her parents, Lita learned to take care of herself and losing her guardian partner was a loss in her life that occurred because she was performing her duty as a sailor guardian. Raye found that every time she used her powers, she could see his face before he died. It haunted her, no matter the circumstances that she was protecting the city. It was a memory she couldn’t forget.

_Maybe I'll get famous as the man who can't be moved  
Maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news  
And you'll come running to the corner  
'Cause you'll know it's just for you  
I'm the man who can't be moved  
I'm the man who can't be moved_

_'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me  
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be  
Thinkin' maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet  
And you'll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street_

Darien was totally taken in by his music. Anyone could see the peace take over his face and there was no tension to be seen. Serena felt herself smile at the sight. He very rarely looked like that. There was always a faint frown at his brow, or tension in his shoulders. It was heart breaking, really, to see him in such stress so often.

Amy glanced to the door to the café when it opened and watched as she saw Zane walk in with his three friends in tow. Her eyebrows raised in surprise at seeing him there. Raye followed her gaze to the door and her eyes widened at the sight of Jackson there. He caught her gaze and waved before the guys followed Zane to a couple of seats further in.

“Do you know him?” Amy asked, leaning over to Raye.

“Not really,” Raye replied. “The guy who waved came to the shrine for some talismans.”

“Oh, I see,” Amy nodded, saying no more.

_'cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me  
and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be  
thinkin' maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet  
and you'll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street_

_Going back to the corner where I first saw you  
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag I'm not gonna move_

Darien finished and stood up to take a polite bow when the audience gave him an applause. Serena stood and gave him a clap of her own. Darien’s eyes caught her own and he nodded in her direction with the smallest smile at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at the floor, back at Serena, then flicked his eyes over the café and vacated the stage.


	10. Chapter 10

Mina skipped down the street, her purse swinging back and forth from her shoulder as she made her way to the shopping mall. Serena was in detention yet again, Raye was working at the temple, Amy muttered something about going swimming and that left Lita saying that she was thinking of heading to ladies’ basketball club after school. Mina found herself without company and didn’t fancy heading home where Artemis was bound to start pestering her about her homework, so this is how she found herself on the way to do some shopping alone. She reached the mall and a brilliant grin lit up her face. This is where she was happiest; well, this or in the spotlight, of course. She immediately made a beeline for the food court where she queued up in front of her favourite ice cream vendor and was quickly served her favourite peanut butter and banana ice cream in a little tub. Once the ice cream hit her tongue, she instantly felt any tension she had before melting away and her brain humming with the buzz of the thrill that came with this ice cream. She turned, her eyes seeking out her favourite store filled with accessories, ranging from jewellery, sunglasses, bags, purses, and the like. She ate another spoonful of ice cream and crossed the food court to reach her destination. Right away, she spotted numerous items in the window and nodded to herself. She stood for a moment and shovelled the rest of the ice cream in her mouth before throwing the tub into the bin before she strolled through the shop.

“Afternoon,” she nodded to the shop assistant stood behind the till, as she made her way past the counter and deeper into the store.

“Hello, Mina,” the shop assistant replied with a kind smile on her face. The familiarity of the greeting was testament to how often to the bubbly blonde made an appearance in the store. “No friends with you today?”

Mina came to a halt and swivelled on her heel.

“Nope,” she grumbled, with a shake of her head. “Detention, temple, swimming and a school club.” She counted each item off on her fingers as if she were recounting a list. “Just me today. But that means I won’t receive any criticism for what I’m buying!”

“I think your friends do just fine in here themselves!” the assistant laughed. “I think between you all, I’m bankrolled each month!”

“And for that I’m glad!” Mina nodded with another brilliant smile. “Next to the arcade, this is my favourite place to be.”

“Happy to hear it,” the assistant smiled. She looked over Mina’s shoulder and her eyes widened momentarily. “Ah, excuse me, Mina. It looks like I have a customer.”

Mina turned around and looked up at a somewhat familiar looking tall guy with the most intense eyes she’d ever laid her own blue eyes on. She found herself taking a discreet gulp. The long white hair that hung about his shoulders made it appear as if he had a halo as the light of the store was hanging behind his head and it only made him appear more angelic to her.

“Excuse me,” she murmured, turning back to her original direction heading deeper into the store.

She looped numerous necklaces round her wrist as she moved through the store. She admired a number of bikinis on their clothes hangers and decided to plump for the brighter than the sun orange. She stopped at a stall that had a number of ribbons hung up in all colours you could think of and she found herself reaching for them. She felt the silks and the cottons beneath her fingers and promptly disregarded the blacks, browns, blues, and greens. She mused about the purples and yellows but figured the yellow would disappear into her blonde locks, and purple just didn’t feel _her_. Pink was far too Serena. They may look and think alike a lot of the time, but they certainly weren’t the same. This brought her back to the red. She looked at the various shades and knew that it was the colour for her hair. Any other colour wouldn’t do. It reminded her of when Zoisite disguised himself as fake Sailor Moon and that purple bow was simply hideous. She gave a shudder.

“Did the ribbons offend you?” a deep yet soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned around to find the same grey-blue eyes peering down at her. She took in a steady breath, suddenly feeling overcome by nerves, which she thought was strange as she wasn’t shy around guys at all.

“Not at all,” Mina replied. “I was just considering change.”

He glanced over her shoulder at the many ribbons behind her and his eyes flickered to the red ribbon keeping the top half of her hair back from her face. Mina’s eyebrows pulled together into a gentle frown as he continued to look at her intensely, as if he were trying to recall a memory.

“You were singing at Déjà Brew last night, right?”

Mina’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, I was,” she nodded.

“I thought I recognised you,” he shrugged.

Mina considered him for a moment, pursing her lips in thought.

“Are you friends with Zane and Jackson?”

It was his turn to raise his eyebrows.

“I am,” he answered. “Do you know them?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Actually, my friends have run into them before. That’s how I know of them. I’ve never met them.” She peered up at him. “I’m Mina by the way.”

“I know,” he nodded. Mina looked at him with slight alarm. “I saw your name on the performers sheet on the café tables,” he explained. She nodded. “I’m Killian.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Killian,” she smiled, offering her hand.

His eyes flickered to her proffered hand and then he extended his arm and his large square hand enveloped hers. The softness of her skin and her long, slim fingers gave him tingles from the moment his skin touched hers. Their eyes met and they knew that the other felt the intensity between them.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” he murmured under his breath. He released her hand and glanced back at the ribbons behind her. “By the way, change is overrated.”

“What?” Mina wondered, cocking her head to one side.

“The ribbons,” he nodded, jutting out his chin in the direction of the stall, “I think you already have the perfect one tied in your hair.”

Mina looked back at the ribbons and turned back to find Killian already walking back to exit the store. She was acutely aware of the butterflies fluttering away in her stomach.

***

Lita pulled the laces of her trainers taut and quickly tied them into a neat bow and followed suit on her second trainer. She heaved a big sigh and jumped to her feet.

“Hey, Lita,” a girl whose name she’d already forgotten called over to her, “are you coming?”

“Sure,” she answered, joining the group of girls who exited the school’s changing rooms and out onto the sports courts outside where a group of people, mixed boys, and girls, of various ages were warming up. She cast her eyes over the crowd and tapped on one of the girl’s shoulders. “Hey, is this all the middle school?”

“Nope,” she answered. “We have teams from the high school here as well today. I think it’s supposed to be some sort of social experiment or something.” She laughed like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. “Actually, I think they just wanted the middle school to get to know the students from the high school, plus we have a pretty good court and I think the high school’s is having a do over.”

“Oh, I see,” Lita nodded, pulling the corners of her mouth down as if to say, ‘fair enough’. “Right, well I’m gonna go for a run before we all get together for a game.”

She didn’t think anyone in the group was particularly listening. She headed off to the running track and began with a light jog. She built up to a gentle run by the time she’d completed three laps and by this time, more students had joined her on the track. She continued into a run and felt her muscles working as they warmed up with each step. After ten minutes, she ran off the court to the side-lines and she gulped back throatfuls of water from her bottle. She sat down on the bench there and steadied her breathing. It was actually a relief to get her blood pumping with something other than a sailor soldier’s workout. Suddenly she was aware of a figure hovering above her.

“Excuse me, you’re sat above my bag.”

Lita looked up and her bright green eyes considered the remarkably large guy stood before her, who she guessed to be in high school. His large shoulders were impressive, and she could only presume that he must play a lot of sport. She noted how his thick dark maroon hair was tied up in a bun, which would have looked ridiculous on anyone other than him. His powerful arms were crossed over his broad chest impatiently as his dark blue eyes, easily his most defining feature, were boring into her. She tore her eyes away from him and glanced between her bare legs at the bag sat under the bench beneath her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she apologised, leaping up, brushing her shorts down and pulling her shirt down subconsciously.

Silently, he reached under the bench and retrieved his bag. He put his hand into the depths of it, pulling out a large water bottle. She watched as with each gulp the Adam’s apple at his throat moved up and down as he swallowed. He finished drinking and turned to look at her.

“Sorry, can I help you with something?” he asked.

“No,” she replied hastily. “Sorry.”

She turned and ran back to join her group for basketball, where the coach called everyone to huddle. He told everyone that as they were hosting visitors, everyone would be mixed and split up into four groups and each pair of groups would play in turn on the court. Lita found herself grouped with one of the girls she’d spoken to before they joined everyone outside on the sports courts, another two guys from her own school and the rest of the numbers were made up of other guys and girls from the high school. She was horrified to find the guy she’d interacted with a short while ago was in her paired group, ready to play basketball. Suddenly, she wished that the cooking club had been enough for her.

All of a sudden, the game was off, and everyone was trying their hand at dribbling the ball and crossing the court to get to the basket at their end to score. Lita found herself quickly getting to grips with the sport as she dashed across the court, sharply swiping the ball from under her opponent’s grasp and she dribbled the ball swiftly across the court, stopped abruptly and made to shoot the ball into the hoop. She watched with satisfaction as the ball fell through the hoop, bouncing from the ground below it. She turned to the cheer of her teammates and she smirked at the glares of the other team. She sprinted down the court to join her team and she watched as the other team murmured in each other’s ears then went on a man-to-man defense. She watched, amused, as the guy from earlier stood in front of her as the ball was thrown into play. Wherever she moved, he moved. She growled under her breath. She saw that one of her team members had the ball in their possession. Madly, she waved her arms to catch their attention, which of course, the guy in front of her noticed. Her teammate threw the ball far towards her and he moved in sync with her, until Lita stopped completely on the spot at the last moment. As he moved to the side where he anticipated her to move in an attempt to get out of his space, that left her open in her position and she successfully caught the ball. Without hesitation, she started dribbling the ball, circling the ball to block anyone from getting at the ball with her back, until he appeared again and swiped the ball from under her hand. Like a viper, her hands shot out and they each stubbornly pulled at the ball. Before the coach could blow his whistle to stop the tussle, Lita’s opponent pushed the ball into her in an attempt to get her to let go, but instead, the ball bumped her nose, shocking her and she fell backwards onto her back.

“Ow,” she groaned, raising her hand to the back of her head where she’d bumped it on the ground. “You do have some strength in you.”

“I’m so sorry,” he replied, promptly leaning down at her side.

The coach ran over to them, crouching down at Lita’s other side. He pointed his finger.

“Neal, you are benched for the next game!” he admonished him, his hand coming to Lita’s shoulder. “Come on, we need to sort out that nosebleed.”

Lita’s fingers found their way to her nose and she felt the blood rush over her fingertips. She pulled a face.

“Oh, lovely,” she moaned, letting Coach help her to her feet. She made to step forward but felt distinctly woozy and she felt her feet buckle under her. “Eugh.”

“Whoa,” she heard Neal’s voice in her ear. “Look, Coach, as I should sit the next game out anyway for this, let me get her to the nurse.” He noted the blood dripping between Lita’s fingers. “And perhaps some tissue to clean up the blood.”

He watched Coach consider this then nodded.

“Fine but quickly.”

Neal nodded and helped Lita across the courts and through the school. He spotted the men’s toilets and told her to sit as he dived in to grab a ream of toilet roll. He grimaced when he returned.

“I’m sorry, but you’re dripping nose blood and I thought that being able to stem it before we got to the nurses office would be good,” he explained, proffering the tissue.

“It’s not my fault,” she grumbled, her voice thick with the blood coming from her nasal passages.

Neal visibly cringed. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I don’t discriminate against girls on court. You seem able enough to hold your own.”

“Well, I’m a blackbelt,” she told him, “I should.”

Neal looked impressed.

“That’s cool,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. “Do you want help getting up? We should probably get you some ice for your head.”

Lita lifted her free hand up to the back of her head and winced at the bump there.

“Sure,” she nodded. She stood and swayed a little.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, just dizzy,” she explained. “Blood doesn’t bother me.”

“I’ve gotta say,” he continued, “you are a damn good player.”

“Actually, I’ve never played before,” she revealed. “I just wanted to get into another sport for something different, as I’m in the cooking club.”

“A girl who can cook and play sport like a badass,” Neal smirked. “Great match.”

“One of a kind,” Lita joked. She then stopped as they neared the nurses office. “But if you try to pull a stunt like that again on court, I’ll kick your ass.”

“I believe it,” he chuckled. “Before we head in there, I want to introduce myself properly: Neal.”

She looked at his outstretched hand then looked back up to his face.

“I think we’re past shaking hands,” she said simply, as she strolled past him and entered the nurses office. 


	11. Chapter 11

“Hey, Andrew!” Serena beamed as she bounded up to the counter where the aforementioned arcade worker was currently wiping down the countertop.

“Morning, Serena,” Andrew greeted her. “You’re here early today.” He pointedly looked at the clock on the wall that read 10:30am. “And on a Saturday as well.”

“Oh, Raye wanted everyone to meet her at the temple,” Serena explained.

“This isn’t the temple, Serena,” Andrew pointed out.

“I know that,” she giggled. “I just wanted to grab a milkshake to go.”

At that moment, the doors to the arcade opened and Darien walked in. He glanced at the clock after he noticed Serena talking to Andrew and his eyes widened in surprise. He strolled across the room and joined them at the counter.

“Wow, you’re here early, Meatball Head,” he commented.

“Is there an echo in here?” Serena muttered, bemused.

Darien raised an eyebrow at her, and she rolled her eyes, turning to Andrew.

“Chocolate milkshake to go then, please, Andrew,” she twinkled at him.

“Coming right up, Serena,” he smiled with a shake of his head.

“Ah, so what activity demands a shot of sugar today then, Meatball Head?” Darien asked, sitting himself down.

“You know, I really hate it when you call me that,” she snapped. She pointed to her hair. “See these here? They are buns, not meatballs!!”

“That would be convincing if you didn’t have the spaghetti flowing down from them,” Darien teased, tugging gently on the lock of hair falling from her left bun.

Serena gasped at the sudden contact and felt herself blush. Even with the dark circles under his eyes, he still looked like he’d been carved by the gods themselves.

“Th-they’re not spaghetti,” she stuttered somewhat angrily.

“Very convincing,” Darien observed, raising his eyebrows slightly at the blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Here you go, Serena,” Andrew announced, plonking the milkshake in front of her.

_Thank God_, Serena thought. She gave him a grateful smile and handed over the change for it.

“Thanks, Andrew,” she said, accepting the drink. “Right, I’m off-ski, or Raye will kill me.”

Andrew chuckled as she dashed out of the arcade. Darien watched the empty entrance to the arcade where Serena had just exited through and then he felt gentle nudging in his arm.

“Yo, Dare,” Andrew called. “Earth to Darien.”

“Sorry, Drew,” Darien replied, turning back to face his friend. “Mind hitting me up with a coffee?”

“Consider it done,” Andrew nodded, turning to run the coffee through the machine. “But before I do, what’s with you?”

“Just need a shot of coffee,” Darien smiled.

“Let’s be honest,” Andrew told him, “you look like hell.”

“Thanks, man,” Darien replied half-heartedly, tipping an imaginary hat towards him. “It’s nothing good sleep can’t fix.”

“Well, it looks like you aren’t getting any,” Andrew retorted. He turned around and poured the coffee into a mug and handed it over.

“Just a lot on my mind,” Darien mused, his mind going back to the nightmares that were keeping him up most of the night.

Every night, he had the same dream of that pale girl with the long, long silvery-white hair being choked by something strong and unforgiving. Something that shouldn’t be here. It didn’t matter how much he tried to get near her, how much strength he forced down his muscles, he was always too far away. This morning, something had changed which shocked him awake. He’d looked down at his feet which weren’t moving and instead of the ground, something holding him there, he saw the Earth below him and it was choking. It felt like the planet itself was dying. When he awoke, he found himself choking on the very air he was breathing.

Andrew was waving his hands in front of Darien’s face, which caught Darien’s attention again through his musings.

“Are you going to elaborate?” Andrew asked, his brow furrowing.

“Not today, my friend,” Darien smiled, tapping the surface of the counter gently. “I’d better get to the library.”

Andrew watched his tired looking friend leave and once again, wondered what was going on with his friends.

***

Sailor Mars cartwheeled out of the way of the oncoming ice shard, then immediately ducked as another ice shard shot directly at her face. She wasn’t blessed with a bow to accompany her Mars Arrow, but she recalled some advice she received from a long, long time ago: _if you think you’re being taken advantage of by your enemies, stretch a line taut in your soul. Then, with your whole body and spirit, shoot the arrow of your finishing bow. _Mars looked up to see the simulated monster charging towards her and on instinct, she reached quickly for a large rock at her feet and she threw it with perfect aim, as expected of an expert archer. The monster’s entire arm turned to a solid ice shard as the rock hit it bullseye in the face.

“Mars, what are you doing?” Sailor Venus screeched. “It’s made of ice! Use your fire!”

Mars looked down at her hands and felt the heat gathering in her palms. Her violet eyes glared at the icy creature who was now fixated on her.

“Sailor Moon kick!” Sailor Moon cried, as she leaped through the air and gave a well-aimed kick to the face of the creature who toppled in response.

Sailor Jupiter caught the eye of Venus and they nodded in synchronicity. Flower petals swirled elegantly around Jupiter as two crescent moons collided above Venus’ head before she raised her right index finger up to touch them. While Venus lowered her right arm and pointed it directly at the target as her left arm came to rest on her elbow, the flower petals glowed sharp. Jupiter blasted them at the enemy as Venus shot a beam of light from her index finger, causing the two attacks to blend into one, immobilising the enemy and making the ice visibly soften, the sharp edges fading away.

“Mars!” Venus yelled. “Destroy it!”

Mars took a deep breath and felt her face go deadpan. She summoned a fire with her gloved hands and surrounded herself with it, then she held out her other hand to absorb it and threw the fire from her palm.

“Mars snake fire!” she cried, the fire shooting at the immobilised enemy taking the form of a snake. It opened its large mouth, the fangs long and piercing, and it engulfed the icy monster whole.

Mars turned and de-transformed in a flurry of delicate petals and ribbons. The girls watched as Venus strode forward, caught Raye’s shoulder, and pulled her back.

“Raye, seriously,” Venus exclaimed, “what was that?”

“What are you talking about?” Raye replied wearily.

“You know what,” Venus said exasperatedly. “You don’t use your power when the moment calls for it. We want to know why.”

“_We?!_” Raye repeated.

“Yeah, Raye,” Jupiter agreed apprehensively. “What’s going on?”

Raye looked at each of the girls and noted that Sailor Moon was the only one who wasn’t meeting her eye.

“Fine,” she breathed, “fine. I’m sick of this. Look at us – again. We’re back in our sailor soldier uniforms, training, waiting for another evil to make itself known so we can destroy it.” She pointed at Sailor Moon. “We’re lacking the one other living person in this group and he has amnesia, not having a single clue who he is or who we are, let alone the person he loves. Every time I feel the flames in the palms of my hands, I’m reminded of how I was forced to kill the one person _I _loved. And that was the first time my own fire burned me. Using my powers just feels like another evil in this world and I think it already has enough.”

“Raye,” Jupiter said softly, “I killed Nephrite. I get it. But we can’t let what we have to do stop us from doing what we need to do.”

“It still hurts,” Serena stated, stepping forward in front of Raye, having de-transformed.

“Of course, it hurts,” Raye sighed.

“You’re right about one thing,” Mercury said, Mercury computer in hand, ready to take down the dimensional sphere, “it sucks, but the planet needs us.” With a swirl of petals and ribbons, she de-transformed into her civilian identity, and Venus and Jupiter followed suit. “My mother tells me that more patients than before are being brought to hospital but there’s nothing that the hospital can do for them. It’s almost like… they’re paralysed, stuck in a coma. There’s no apparent reason why.”

Serena was rubbing Raye’s arm gently in a silent attempt to comfort.

“Do we have an idea of where attacks are happening?” Serena asked.

“I can’t pinpoint a location,” Raye uttered. “The sacred fire is only able to highlight the entirety of the city, so I think it’s just widespread. We just need a cause of it.”

“Look, Raye,” Mina started in a gentle tone.

“Mina, please,” Raye said, shaking her head. “I know we’ve all done what we’ve had to do, but I just need a little time with this one, okay?” She looked at Lita. “I know you have first-hand experience of this feeling, but I killed the evil in him before I killed him. I know that you didn’t have the horror of killing someone that could have been saved in that moment. It didn’t feel like something I needed to do, but something I could. It was a choice and I made the wrong one.” She looked at the girls. “Look, I’ll be there, just don’t push me.”

Serena rested her head on Raye’s shoulder as she gave her a squeeze. They were indeed missing more than one person in this group: they were missing five.

***

Darien rubbed his eyes as he left his apartment building. He took a long swig from his water bottle and looked up and down the desolate street and took in a big lungful of air. He bent his head in mental preparation then set off on a run. He took off down the street, feeling the sweet thrill of the air rushing past him as he raced down the road. He took a turn and continued on his way towards the park that surrounded the large lake and held his favourite rose garden. Upon reaching the park and entering its beautiful space, he suddenly felt like he was lacking oxygen and he gasped for air. He jogged deeper into the park, somewhat drunkenly and he fell onto a nearby bench.

Nearby, he was aware of movement, which he recalled was odd considering the late hour of the evening. He heard groans but otherwise the noises didn’t sit right with him. It almost sounds like an animal in pain but whatever was causing the reaction didn’t feel human at all. Darien clutched at his chest where he felt he was being squeezed. He dragged himself to his feet and turned the corner around a hedge and saw a familiar sight. It was exactly as he’d seen in his nightmare, only there was no waking up this time. The stranger making the primal noises was struggling against the dark figure whose face he couldn’t see. Darien had no idea how the stranger was being held up in the air like this but there was something in him telling him to step forward, despite how scared he may feel. He stepped on a fallen branch which broke under the weight of his foot and the huge figure turned to glare at him.

Before Darien passed out, all he could remember was that sight of hollowness and the stranger falling to the ground.


	12. Chapter 12

Together with their arms linked, Serena and Mina skipped into the Crown Arcade and abruptly came to a halt when they felt the tense atmosphere that filled the game centre. They spotted Andrew and rushed over to him. He looked up as they approached and gave them a strained smile.

“Hi, Andrew,” the girls greeted their friend simultaneously.

“Hey, you two,” he nodded at them.

“What’s going on?” Mina demanded, her eyes flicking around the room.

On the face of it, everything looked normal: there were kids and teenagers of all ages playing on the games, the beeping and music filling the air from the machines, glasses being drained of various beverages. However, there was a shift from the usual energy that filled the place.

“Someone was found unconscious in the park,” Andrew told them. “There was no apparent cause for the… condition they were in and there are no suspects. They were taken to the hospital early this morning but it’s worried people.”

“Do we know who it was?” Serena asked, a furrow at her brow.

“Rumour is going round that it’s the gardener of the park,” Andrew said, absentmindedly picking up a nearby cloth and wiping the countertop in obsessive circles.

Serena and Mina exchanged glances and nodded. Silently, Mina got out her communicator and sent out an ‘SOS’ to all the girls.

“So, Andrew,” Serena wheedled, flashing her pearly whites at him, “any chance of a milkshake?”

“Of course, Serena,” he smiled, turning to make her drink.

“I think it might be time we patrolled the city,” Mina murmured under her breath.

Serena sighed.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Serena mused. She looked at Mina out of the corner of her eye. “Do you ever feel like what Raye said yesterday?”

“You mean when she pointed out that we’re back in our sailor suits fighting the forces of evil and our own lives are put on the backseat again?” Mina asked, raising an eyebrow. “Of course, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s our duty.”

“Do you ever feel that’s a little cold?”

“Maybe,” Mina conceded. Her communicator beeped from within her pocket. She got it out and glanced at the screen. “We’re going to Raye’s.”

“But my milkshake!” Serena objected.

“Get it to go,” Mina urged, then immediately shouted over to Andrew. “Andrew, can we get that milkshake to go, please!”

“On it!” Andrew called over.

Within a matter of minutes, the drink was delivered, and the girls shot off in the direction of the temple.

***

She felt a vibration from deep within her traditional red and white priestess uniform and flicked it open.

‘SOS,’ it read from Mina.

With a sigh, she typed back a reply to all the girls to meet her at the temple where she would do a fire reading. She brushed back her bangs from her eyes with the heel of her hand and it was then that she was aware she was being spoken to.

“So, um, Raye,” Chad stuttered and slurred his words, “would you want to, I don’t know, join me for a m-movie later?”

Raye’s eyes widened and she straightened her back, turning around to face him. She considered his dark eyes observing her nervously underneath the full fringe falling to under his eyes, framed by shoulder-length ragged brown hair. She noticed his knuckles white from the strain of clutching the broom tightly, almost using it to hold him up. Her eyes flickered from his white sandals, to the light blue hakama and to the traditional white kimono shirt, then she reached his eyes again.

“Erm,” she hedged uncertainly, “sure.”

Chad’s eyes bugged out of his head, then he bowed his head to her and turned to retreat into the temple. On his way, there was a loud crash as he fell over a bucket and promptly landed in the stall selling all manner of talismans and charms. Raye pressed her lips together, holding in the words she would have otherwise used to yell at him. She continued raking the leaves up into a pile, musing why she said yes. It didn’t have to mean anything. It was just a movie.

“Hello, Raye,” Amy’s voice greeted her, interrupting her thoughts.

“Oh, hi, Amy,” Raye waved back, quickly raking the rest of the leaves out of the way. “Want to come in and I’ll start the fire reading while we wait for the others?”

“That’ll be good,” Amy nodded, already reaching to get out her Mercury computer. “We need to pinpoint the cause of the evil spreading in the city _now_. I’ve already stopped by the park to pick up anything that might help us.”

“Good thinking,” Raye nodded, running her fingers through her long raven hair. “This should give us more luck in the reading. Do you know where Lita is?”

“Actually, no,” Amy replied, following Raye into the temple. “I know Serena and Mina are on their way over, but I haven’t heard anything from Lita yet. I’m sure she’ll be here later.”

***

Lita walked down her favourite aisle in the supermarket, throwing all manner of herbs and spices into her basket. She didn’t believe in being cautious when you cook. Cooking is the time to be adventurous and challenge your taste buds. The idea of the variety of dishes she could make simply through experimentation thrilled her. She continued to fill her basket full of a variety of vegetables which would be perfect to make a flavoursome sauce with. Her emerald green eyes were glistening with excitement as she put in items that she’d never tried before. She knew Serena would be an ideal candidate to trial her cooking out on. She turned a corner and crashed into another shopper’s basket with a clang.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she apologised, bowing her head in embarrassment, as other shoppers turned to see what the commotion was.

“I crashed into you, you crash into me,” a deep, familiar voice said teasingly from above her head, “it’s only fair.”

She looked up slowly and blinked a few times as one of the bright lights hanging from the high ceiling was glaring down at her. She instantly recognised Neal from the basketball meet, his deep blue eyes boring into her in amusement.

“Oh, hi,” she acknowledged him. “Sorry.”

She swept past him and made her way into the next aisle. Her eyes flickered over the shelves, choosing random items to add to her shopping basket, then she was acutely aware of a shadow. She looked over her shoulder and spotted Neal not six feet from her, observing her basket.

“I can’t decide if you have no idea how to manoeuvre around a kitchen or you have poor impulse control,” he observed.

“What?” she asked blankly. Then she followed his eyeline down to her basket. She frowned. “I’ll have you know that I’m a very accomplished cook. I try out countless recipes each week. I use my friends as my guinea pigs.”

“Is this for the cooking club at school?” he asked curiously, stepping forward at a more social distance, rather than shouting across the aisle.

“No,” she frowned, pressing her lips together.

“In that case, I look forward to being one of your guinea pigs,” he stated with a smirk.

“What? I’m not cooking for you!” she exclaimed, putting one hand on her hip indignantly.

“Sure, you are,” he grinned.

“I hardly think so,” she disagreed. “Helping me to the nurse’s office after _you_ were the reason why I had to go in the first place does not mean you are in my circle of friends who gets to enjoy my cooking.”

Neal shrugged.

“I know where to find you,” he told her.

“At the school you don’t go to?” she challenged him.

“Do you know the Fairview Park?” Neal asked, ignoring her.

“The little park near the library?” Lita checked. He nodded. “Yes, why?”

“I’ll see you there tomorrow,” he said as a matter of fact.

“Oh, will you?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Sure,” he nodded. “I’ll make it up to you.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“For the nosebleed and possibly concussion,” he winked, turning, and leaving the aisle.

Lita didn’t have long to register her thoughts as she felt her communicator vibrate. She saw that she’d somehow missed the original message from Mina. With a sigh, she turned 180 degrees and rushed over to the checkouts and ran her items through the till, thrust the money at the shop assistant and fled the shop, darting quickly to drop by her place before joining the girls at the shrine.

***

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Lita excused herself, bursting into the room that housed the sacred fire. She promptly plonked herself down onto a cushion on the floor. She leaned over to Amy who was frantically tapping into her Mercury computer. “What’s going on?”

“Raye’s just in the middle of a fire reading,” she told her. “I’m scanning the city for evil pinpoints. Another person has been taken to the hospital after being attacked in the park. It’s gotten everyone worried.”

Lita’s eyes widened. “The Fairview Park?”

“No,” Amy shook her head. “The huge park that overlooks the lake.”

Lita bit her lip. She couldn’t help the suspicion that rose in her, aimed at Neal, particularly after hearing that an attack happened in the park. Though, granted, not the park he suggested, not that that comforted her much. The flames of the fire suddenly got larger and more overbearing, the heat in the room touching on uncomfortable.

“Sun… Moon… Stars,” she murmured, the warmth of the fire licking at her face. She poised her fingers in front of her and started the Akuryo Taisan chant, channelling her energy into the flames. “Rin, Pyō, Tō, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!”

Raye gasped as the visions in the flickering flames became clearer, more frightening, more real. She watched the Moon Kingdom of the Silver Millennium fall. She watched the destruction descend on the orbiting lunar body and the blackness engulf the planet Earth. She watched Princess Serenity defeat Queen Metalia with the aid of the spirits of the dead sailor soldiers. She saw how the Silver Crystal revived the sailor guardians and Endymion, allowing them to have a second life on Earth, perfectly mimicking Queen Serenity’s sacrifice on the Moon before her death. And finally, there was a single image of Earth. The flames showed her how the darkness was steadily creeping in, so slowly, it was no wonder they hadn’t noticed it. The darkness was descending. Then the flame went out.

The girls all sat silently, four pairs of eyes staring in Raye’s direction. The young priestess could feel their gaze and she sighed.

“It’s our fault,” she murmured. She stood up and felt for the light switch on the wall and flicked it on, lighting up the room, causing all the girls to blink. “I don’t have a name for whatever this is, but it’s here because we are. Queen Serenity granted us a second chance at life, but after we defeated the Dark Kingdom, Princess Serenity gave us a second chance on Earth and whatever it is, is angry. I saw a darkness start to envelop the Earth.”

“So, it’s my fault?” Serena muttered.

“No, Sere,” Raye shook her head. “It’s ours. We should have died after the battle with the Dark Kingdom, but we didn’t, and it spawned an evil trying to right that wrong.”

“Is it wrong?” Mina asked. “Because of us, everyone is free to live as they should.”

“The fact we’re living isn’t wrong or evil,” Raye exclaimed, “it’s just something about our existence has drawn this evil here and until we can come face to face with it, we won’t know what it is.”

“Is there something the people in the hospital have in common?” Serena asked, turning to Amy.

“I won’t know until I visit the gardener at the hospital tomorrow,” she replied. “I’m planning to use the excuse that I’m visiting mom at work but really, I’ll be swinging by his ward. Anyone want to join me?”

“I would but I have plans,” Lita excused herself.

“I will,” Raye volunteered, butting in. “It makes the most sense. I can do a reading while I’m at the hospital. I’m hoping we can learn more.”

“Great, that’s settled,” Amy nodded. “Right, I’ll see you tomorrow. I must be off.”

Raye watched as each of the girls filed out of the room that housed the sacred fire and she set about lining the cushions back up against the wall. She turned the brightness of the light down and picked up the ribbon that she’d put down on the side table earlier and wrapped it round her long raven hair so that it sat in a ponytail, resting on her shoulder. She opened the drawer of the table and reached in to bring something out of it. She lit the great fire so that its dying embers grew strong again and she kneeled in front of the fire. She closed her eyes, letting the flickers of the flames be the only thing to fill the silence, the only sound that she could hear in the otherwise quiet temple.

“Hey,” a familiar voice spoke, causing her to open her eyes at the greeting. “Is this seat taken?”

She turned to her right to see Jadeite sat on the cushion next to her in front of the fire.

“Jadeite,” she smiled, her whole face softening affectionately. Her mouth was curled up into an unmistakable smile of elation and relief in equal measure.

“Wait, how do you know my name?” he asked, his eyes squinting slightly in wonder, his brow furrowing. Raye looked at him, the question hitting a raw nerve. “Sorry. There’s no way I’d even pretend to forget _Raye Hino_.”

Raye let out an exasperated laugh, shaking her head slowly, raising her eyes to the ceiling.

“You’re just saying that because you know I want to hear it,” she stated, looking into the flames.

“Well, actually, that’s not how this works,” he disagreed, pressing his lips together as he moved his head backwards so that his head was aligned over his neck. He looked directly at her. “I’m kind of here to tell you the things you don’t want to hear, right?”

“Yeah,” she murmured, looking down at her lap, bringing up the object she’d taken from the drawer. The crystal in her hand glistened, making a sound like air being blown into a bottle. She placed it between them, which he looked down at, the crystal glowing a golden light. She laughed without humour. “I really needed to see you.”

“Happy to be seen!” he said buoyantly. She looked at him uncertainly. “Well, I mean as happy as the magical holographic manifestation of your subconscious can be.” He smiled at her. “So, what’s on your mind?”

She let out a gentle chuckle, his playful attitude amusing her. He continued to smile back at her, his grey eyes bright with the excitement at being in her company, boring into her violet eyes like they wouldn’t want to be looking at anything else.

“I missed your eyes,” she murmured in all seriousness.

He grinned.

“Well, admittedly, they’re pretty dreamy,” he teased, resting his hands under his chin as he leaned forward towards her with a grin.

“So much for accuracy,” Raye rolled her eyes, sitting back firmly in her seated position on the floor, “Jadeite would never say that.” She raised her eyebrows to the heavens.

“What’s creative license?” he exclaimed and shrugged. “Besides, let’s face it, you already know what he’d say about your current dilemma.” He raised his eyebrows looking at her from the side-on.

She shook her head in agreement.

“Well, maybe I just wanted to hear it from fake you,” she admitted.

“Fine,” he said, throwing his hands off his lap as if they’d gotten somewhere. “Then in that case, there is no world in which I would ever want you to live like you weren’t back from the dead.”

“I never died, technically,” she argued.

“Then I’d want you to live like you never have before,” he told her. “I’d want to know that you were doing everything. Because I _love _you.” She turned to look back him. “And you love me! And living like this is a stupid move and you know it, especially after we agreed to never put blame on ourselves.”

“Don’t turn this around on me,” she frowned. “Okay, besides, what was going through your mind when you were working for the Dark Kingdom?”

He looked at her with his lips pressed together.

“Oh,” she breathed, sitting back with a slump.

“So, you’re mad at me?” he asked.

“No,” she said, looking down at her lap. “I’m not mad at you. I can’t be mad at you, right? It’s not your fault. You didn’t even know I exist.”

“That still hurts,” he states.

“Of course, it hurts,” she breathed, her head falling to her chest. She then looked up at him.

“Okay,” he said looking at her with large eyes, knowingly, “just think about how much it would hurt me knowing that you were blaming yourself for what happened to me? It wasn’t your fault. Or mine. You didn’t have a choice but to destroy me. Queen Beryl already had her claws in me, and the rest of the Shitennou. You needed to protect the princess.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded, gazing at him with a brief nod. They both turned away from each other. She looked back at him with her lips pressed together as she considered him. “If you can answer this one question correctly, then I promise I’ll fight like the guardian Mars sworn to protect the Moon Princess and the galaxy. I’ll live like I was given this chance.”

He frowned, looking back at her in exasperation.

“Would you quit playing games?” he asked. “There’s no answer either of us could give that should stop you from doing that right now.”

“Are you happy?” she interrupted, the sadness evident in her eyes. He noticeably inhaled a lungful of air, sitting straighter in his seat as he turned more towards her. He made to open his mouth, finding himself unable to answer. She could feel the tears behind her eyes. “Is everyone happier now?”

His eyes flickered from her to the flames, to past her physical form next to him and back to her face again, his mouth slightly open. There was no answer he could give. Was he and the other dead members of the Shitennou happier now? They were free from the influence of the Dark Kingdom but was it enough? And Darien. How could he answer for him? Darien doesn’t know who he is, for the second time on Earth. How could living a lie be a happier position to be in? And the girls. Ultimately, they didn’t want to be fighting evil again, or have memories of the devastation they’d lived through. That wasn’t _happier_. He continued to look at her with a pained expression on his face. There was no answer he could give her.

She nodded, looking down at her lap with a sniff.

“Could you leave me for a minute?” she asked, unable to look at him, with a humourless laugh in her voice. “I don’t really want to cry in front of you, even if you’re fake.”

He nodded, looking at her with a mixture of concern and sadness. She closed her eyes, feeling the heat of the flames on her skin. She turned to look to her right, seeing the previously occupied cushion now empty. There was no way she could know if her loved ones were happier now in the aftermath of the battle with the Dark Kingdom, but she couldn’t blame herself anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raye uses a prism (i.e. the crystal) which allows her to simulate an imaginary conversation between herself and her subconscious. She simulates a conversation between herself and her consciousness in the guise of Jadeite to sort through her problems.


	13. Chapter 13

Raye ran her hands over her green jacket, so it sat straight over her mid-thigh black dress with a gold link belt around her slim waist. She focused on the ground where she could see glimpses of her red heels with each step forward, her shoes almost perfect clones of her sailor heels. She tried her best to ignore the anxiety ball rolling round in her stomach as she glanced at Chad strolling by her side. They were on their way to the cinema together in the evening, the sky already a deep red, rolling into violet as the sun was setting. Raye found that she had very little to say to Chad when she wasn’t yelling at him.

“So, Raye,” Chad said, clearing his throat, “do you have any preference on the film you’d like to see?”

Raye raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I thought you’d already picked a film and that’s why you asked me to go,” she questioned.

Chad rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

“Well, no,” he admitted. “I just wanted to spend some time with you outside of the shrine.”

“Oh, Chad!” she growled, ignoring the latter of his confession. “What if we choose a film to watch and find there aren’t any seats left? Where is your brain at, Chad?!”

Chad chuckled nervously.

“Actually,” he admitted, pushing his hand deep into the pockets inside his jacket, pulling out a handful of cinema tickets in his grasp, “I bought two tickets for every film showing at this time, so that it wouldn’t matter which film you chose.”

Raye came to a halt and stared at him in shock. Chad continued to stroll past her until he realised she was no longer by his side. He turned around.

“Is everything okay?”

Truthfully, Raye was a little dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected that he’d given this so much thought. It almost made her feel bad for yelling at him, though in all seriousness, it would have felt weird if she hadn’t, so she circled back to feeling bad about that.

“Yeah,” she replied, slowly walking forward to catch up to him so that they fell in sync again as they made their way to the cinema together. “What kinds of films do you like anyway?”

Chad glanced at her, surprised, running his fingers through his bangs.

“It depends on my mood,” he said, “action, comedy, crime, drama, thriller.” He looked at her with a teasing shine in his eyes. “Musical.”

Raye let out a laugh. “Of course – I wouldn’t have thought anything else! However, that has just taken the musical showing out of the picture for us tonight.”

“Damn,” Chad mock groaned. “What about you?”

“Animation… though, I’m guessing you may know that considering Serena only ever visits me for my comics,” Raye replied, rolling her eyes. “Adventure and comedy are a good shout, but I love a bit of mystery and horror. I’m presuming romance isn’t up your alley.”

“I’m afraid not, but I’d tolerate it if that’s what you’d prefer to see,” Chad offered.

She narrowed her eyes at him and quickly snatched the cinema tickets that were clenched in his hands. She flicked through them quickly and nodded.

“It’s decided,” she confirmed. “The comedy viewing it is. That way, we’ll both enjoy it.”

She offered the numerous cinema tickets back to him and he reached for them. He tried to pull them back but found she was still holding them. His dark eyes looked mesmerising as he considered her, a slight frown between his brows. She looked meaningfully at their hands, tearing her eyes away from his and then he realised that his fingers were pressed on the top of hers. He released her fingers, allowing him to take back the tickets from out of her hold. They reached the cinema and walked in together to have a comedic evening. There was no better tension reliever.

***

Lita sighed when she reached the entrance to the Fairview Park the next day. For the hundredth time, she wondered what in the world she was doing coming here. She glanced back at the library behind her and wondered if she could sneak back in, but was that childish? She was certain that not even Serena would do that, plus libraries weren’t exactly one of the places you’d find her. She stepped inside the park and wandered through the gardens, her eyes searching for Neal. It occurred to her that she had never been in this park for fun before, if this is what you called fun anyway. She’d been here once before battling a youma in the early days of battling the Negaverse. She’d never appreciated quite how pretty it was. She rounded a large rose bush and immediately caught sight of those familiar large shoulders and thick wavy hair streaming down his back.

“Hi,” she greeted him upon her approach.

He turned around and his eyes crinkled when he smiled in greeting.

“Ah, you’re early,” he commented, pleased.

Lita peered at her watch that sat on her wrist.

“I was just in the library across the road,” she explained. “It wasn’t intentional.”

He noted the defensiveness in her voice, and he smirked to himself.

“Come, sit down,” he invited. “Join me.”

She hesitated, eyeing the quite obvious picnic blanket, then she plonked herself down opposite him. She raised her eyebrows.

“So,” she observed, “we’re having a picnic?”

Neal grinned.

“I told you I’d make it up to you,” he declared, then shrugged. “I figured that the chef very rarely has anyone cook for her, so I took on the liberty.”

Lita’s face softened as she eyed the large picnic basket at his side that she had somehow missed before. Then she looked back at him and realised how she’d missed it. His most defining feature – his eyes – had taken most of her attention.

“That’s a very… large hamper you have there,” she commented.

“I’m a big boy,” he cracked, “boy’s gotta eat.”

“Oh, really?” she said slyly with an inner giggle.

Ignoring her, he turned and started bringing out the contents of his picnic basket: two plates, two glasses, cutlery, a bowl full of the brightest tomatoes she’d ever seen with plump olives, lettuce, shredded carrot, slices of beetroot and chopped up feta, mini quiches, cheese twist pastries, sandwiches cut into triangles filled with egg and cress on seeded bread, two bottles of lemonade and a cherry pie, the latter of which was obviously made from scratch.

Her eyes bugged out as watched him bring out each item in turn. She hadn’t expected to see something put together with such care and quite honestly, she couldn’t believe that someone who didn’t know her all too well took the time to do this for her. He looked taken aback when he noticed the expression on her face.

“Hey, I know we didn’t have the best meeting,” he acknowledged, “and it kind of ended with a bump to the head and a bloody nose, but words don’t really mean anything, do they? So, here’s my apology.”

“This must have taken you ages,” she breathed.

Silently, he poured out the lemonade into both glasses and handed one over.

“Anything said here should stay here,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes at her. She nodded innocently. “The truth be told, I’m rather taken with food. I can’t say I’m a gourmet chef, not even close, but it doesn’t take a genius to whack some ingredients together, chop them up and throw them in a bowl or spread them on a slice of bread. I’ve been into sport all my life and I realised that in order to continue keeping sport as part of my life, I need to eat well. It just so happens that I love food so it’s a win-win.”

“That’s not the case with my friend, Serena,” she said, shaking her head. “That girl can burn water!” Giggling, she shook her head again and cleared her throat. “That’s the same with me. I just love to cook. Someday I hope to own my own restaurant.”

“Ah, that explains the full haphazard shopping basket yesterday,” he mused.

“I experiment,” she shrugged, taking a sandwich offered to her.

Neal set about putting some salad on his plate with a pair of tongs she hadn’t noticed he’d brought out and immediately started hoovering it up into his mouth. She noticed the oil glazed on his lips and she averted her eyes.

“So, what other things do you do then, Lita?” he asked. “I know you enjoy sport and cooking but that can’t be it for you.”

“This is amazing,” she praised, swallowing a mouthful of quiche. He smiled in response, nodding his thanks. “I love horses. I don’t know why because I’d never ride one. I’m a tall girl anyway so I’d feel ridiculous.”

“Lita, you’re not even six feet tall,” Neal replied, “horses are bigger than donkeys, you know!”

“I know that!” she countered. “I just prefer to look at them than sit on them. I love to read and dance. I enjoy ballet and ice skating, but I don’t like being lifted if I’m dancing with a partner because it’s a little awkward.”

“What do you like to read?”

“Romance, mostly,” she admitted. She watched look of distaste cross his face and she shook her head. “Don’t be such a guy!”

“Granted but all the same, you can keep that to yourself,” he chortled. “Ice skating…” he considered her for a moment, “I can see you twirling on the ice. Are you any good?”

“I sure am,” she nodded. “My friends… not so much, though that’s not for a lack of trying.”

“You’re pretty close with your friends,” he stated.

“Yeah, we’re really close,” she agreed. “How about you? I’ve seen you around a couple of the guys. I think Amy and Raye have met two of them.”

“Oh, we don’t really do much together, like I presume you girls do,” Neal shrugged. “Guess it’s a guy thing. So, of course, there’s me, then there’s Zane, the swimmer, Jackson is the only one of us with short hair and then there’s Killian, the tallest of us. We’ve kind of been friends for as long as I can remember.”

“Wow,” Lita replied. “It’s good to have your own interests though. We all have our own hobbies outside of our friendship, so it keeps things interesting. It’s nice to have them there, though.”

“Would you like some pie?” he asked, once they’d cleared most of the salad, quiches, sandwiches, and pastries.

“Is that cherry pie?” she asked, her emerald eyes lighting up in anticipation.

“That it is,” he grinned.

“That’s my favourite!” she exclaimed.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked rhetorically.

“That’s a good point!” she nodded enthusiastically.

They continued to eat the pie until it was gone, and they swilled it all down with the remainder of their lemonade. Lita sat back in her seated position.

“Well, hats off to the chef,” she complimented him. “Thanks for the apology. You’re going to have to outdo yourself if you ever need to apologise again.”

“Then let’s have confidence I won’t need to,” he laughed.

***

Serena punched herself in and turned to the matron on duty for the afternoon shift.

“Afternoon Serena,” the matron greeted absentmindedly, her eyes fixated on a clipboard in her hands. “Would you be able do your rounds on this list of private rooms down in the neurology department just up that corridor?” The matron pointed behind Serena and she nodded.

“Yes, matron,” she said.

“I just need you to meet and greet patients and circulate refreshments,” the matron went on. “No admin today.” Her eyes left the clipboard and she considered Serena. “Right, we have eight inpatients at the moment, all of which are awaiting scans, so we’re looking for you to just keep them comfortable and at ease.”

“No problem,” Serena nodded.

She rushed off down the corridor and gathered her trolley, which was already stocked with drinks and sweets for patients. She started volunteering in hospitals a number of years ago and she found that she enjoyed interacting with people of all walks of life that were in the hospital for any number of reasons. She enjoyed making people smile in a rubbish situation. She loved to calm down distressed people and cheer up those who were sad. It gave her joy. She went into each private room, asked the inpatient if they wanted a hot or cold drink and a snack while they waited and occasionally sat down to speak with them. Some people were more open than others and would have a conversation with her, but there were always the stubborn ones who made it clear that they wished she would just go away.

She came out of the fourth room and crossed the corridor to the fifth room where she found the door closed. She knocked gently.

“Hello, am I okay to come in?” she called through the door.

She heard a murmur of sort beyond the closed door and she opened it quietly and stuck her head through the door to peer in. Her eyes widened when she saw who was lying in the hospital bed. She opened the door fully and pushed her trolley in first before pushing the door to behind her.

“Darien,” she exclaimed, “what are you doing in here?”

Darien turned to look at her in a daze. Serena’s gentle knocking had woken him up from his nap. He blinked as he considered her standing at his bedside.

“Meatball Head?” he checked.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she replied, ignoring the nickname. “What are you doing in the hospital as an inpatient?”

“How come you’re here?” Darien asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m a volunteer here,” she answered. “Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”

“I had an accident,” he told her. “I’ve been in here two days.”

“What happened?” she demanded, sitting down on the chair next to his bed.

“I don’t know,” Darien shrugged helplessly. “I had a CT scan a few hours ago and I’ve just been sleeping since. They haven’t allowed me to sleep until after the scan as I had a concussion. I’ve had a severe head injury before so I’m just under close observation.”

Serena pressed her lips together, feeling the tears gathering behind her eyes.

“Don’t cry, Meatball Head,” Darien ordered, seeing the moisture gathering in her bright blue eyes and sitting on her eyelashes.

“Do you want a drink?” Serena asked, settling on a distraction.

“I’d kill for a coffee,” he admitted, and Serena’s hands immediately reached towards the coffee, but she had to halt when he continued, “but I can’t while they’re considering if I need an MRI scan. A glass of water will do for now, please.”

She reached for the jug of water and poured out a glass. Silently, she turned and handed it over to him.

“Would you like a snack of some sort?”

“No, I’m good, thank you,” Darien replied.

She nodded and sat down again.

“So, an MRI?” she asked.

“Possibly,” he nodded. “I’ve had one before when I was young after I had a car accident that left me with retrograde amnesia. I didn’t, and don’t, remember anything prior to the crash or of my parents who died because of the accident. MRIs aren’t a fun experience, but they can be necessary to investigate what damage has been caused when a CT scan can’t determine it.” He blinked. “Wow, are you actually listening to all this? I would have thought you’d be five snores into your daily naptime now.”

“Of course, I’m listening!” Serena exclaimed, offended. “I didn’t realise you’d gone through all of that.” She sighed. “How did you get to the hospital?”

“I’ve no idea,” he replied. “I was told someone found me in one of the parks, though I can’t recall which one. I was wearing my exercising gear, so I must have been out for a run.”

“I’m sorry, Darien,” Serena said quietly. After he said that he was found in a park, she figured this started to step into sailor territory.

“Whatever for?” he laughed. “You didn’t knock me unconscious, right?” He raised an eyebrow in jest.

Serena gave a small smile.

“I guess not,” she conceded.

“Thanks for coming to see me, Meatball Head,” he smiled, “albeit an unexpected visit on both our parts.”

“It’s my pleasure,” she nodded. “I’ll come by later, okay?”

Darien pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered her offer.

“Sure,” he settled. “That would be… nice.”

***

Amy grinned to herself as she soared through the water, her arms slicing through the surface as she swam freestyle. As her left arm came up overhead, she looked to her side to see Zane lagging behind by just a touch. She continued to push herself further until her hand hit the poolside.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, lifting herself up easily to sit on the poolside, right as Zane reached the end of the lane three seconds later.

“Were you a fish in a past life?” Zane asked in exasperation, looking up at her as he treaded water.

“Or you were a turtle in yours,” Amy laughed. “Sorry, but that was a great race. I think I topped my best time!”

“_Why_ aren’t you part of a swimming team?” Zane asked for the tenth time.

“Because I just don’t have the time,” Amy repeated yet again.

“Well you just had a swim with me,” Zane argued, “what’s the difference?”

“Being part of a swimming team means dedication, more demand on time, training, competitions,” Amy retorted. “I swim for some down time.” She leaped up and turned to grab her towel on the benches at the side of the pool. “Is there anything you do for down time?”

Zane thought about it for a moment and nodded.

“Yeah,” he replied, “I swim.” Amy frowned. “Seriously. I love to swim in my own time when I’m not training because I can go at my own pace and just float. It’s a dream. But when I’m swimming competitively, I love that I can beat them all. It’s a rush.”

Amy’s frown turned to a smile.

“I suppose I can understand that,” she acknowledged. “I’m going to get dry and head to the library. Do you want to meet up next week?”

“We have a swimming meet next week,” Zane said apologetically, raising an eyebrow. “Unless… you want to join us?”

“Sure,” Amy replied after a short moment. “I’m interested to see what gives you such a rush.” She turned to the changing rooms. “Bye.”

Amy got changed and blow-dried her hair so that it went from a dark navy to her usual peacock blue. She walked out of the leisure centre and paused to check her bag for her books. Pleased to find that she had everything she needed, she set off, but it was a scream that stopped her from taking another step. She turned around in the direction of the distressed cries and rushed down the side of building which was a well-renowned shortcut through to the supermarket.

Quietly she looked around the corner and spied a tall figure dressed in black robes and a top hat. She couldn’t see the front of the human-like figure but what she could see was someone cowering on the floor in front of the offending figure. She narrowed her eyes.

“Mercury crystal power!” she called out, transforming in a flurry of ribbons into Sailor Mercury, the soldier of water and intelligence.

She stepped out from the corner and behind the figure standing over the person on the ground.

“Stop creep!” she yelled. “I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and intelligence. I am Sailor Mercury! Douse yourself in water and repent!”

The figure turned around to face her and her face turned to horror at what she saw. It seemed the human-like shape was merely a ruse, for what lay beneath this form was even more bone-chilling. It wasn’t the looming, shadowy silhouette that unnerved her, or the dangerously sharp, beak-like nose, but the puckered mass of tentacles that twisted and thrashed about in each and every direction where the front of the shirt would usually sit. Beyond the tentacles, she saw not skin, but the disturbing sight of the skeleton that lay beneath and flesh that hung from the rib bones. Underneath the nose, she saw the mouth open revealing razor-sharp teeth.

She had to act now.

“Mercury bubbles!” she yelled, her hands held out in front of her, turning around, she brought her arms up to cross each other and swiped them out of the crossed position, shouting the final word, “blast!”

A tremendous gust of bubbles shot out of her hands, forming a large cloud to settle over the area, significantly reducing the visibility. She let out a sigh of relief, touching her earring to bring her Mercury goggles down. Her eyes widened when she saw the monster turn back towards the victim recoiling on the floor in an attempt to get away.

“No, please leave me alone!”

Mercury squinted and realised it was Zane.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“What do you want with me?” he demanded.

The monstrous horror bent to reach for Zane’s clothes to lift him to his feet. It was then that Mercury realised that it made no difference. She needed to hit it harder, but she knew she couldn’t lower the temperature to well below freezing because she would harm Zane.

She quickly held her hands out in front of her, summoning a ball of water. “Mercury aqua mirage!” she called, the water glowing with the energy summoned from her home planet. The globe of water split in several streams of flowing water which shot at her horrific target, immediately engulfing the creature in a large globe of water. Mercury kept one hand raised up, holding the attack in place as she then formed a large cloud of bubbles with the other. A drop of water fell down from above her, followed by more and she focused her energy to lower the temperature immediately surrounding her, causing the water to turn into snowflakes. She twirled around three times as the snow fell heavier around her. “Shine snow illusion!” The snowflakes came together into a flurrying column of powdered snow and with her second hand, she shot it at the monster.

She heard a piercing shriek as she watched the creature freeze. Zane looked up in horror as the mist cleared and he had his sight restored in time to witness the monster be incapacitated. His eyes flickered over to where Sailor Mercury stood, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

“It’s okay now,” she reassured him, holding her hands up so he could see she meant him no harm.

“W-what was that?” he stammered.

“I don’t know yet,” she admitted. She frowned when her eyes caught sight of his neck. “What happened to you?” she asked, gesturing to a spot on her own neck.

He reached up and recoiled when his fingers touched the pierced skin there that was oozing blood. His pallor lost all colour and he fell against the wall. Mercury jumped when the frozen figure suddenly crumbled into a pile of snow where it once stood. Somehow she didn’t think it was that easy.


	14. Chapter 14

Serena knocked softly on the door and entered when she heard a quiet voice chime from inside the room to invite her in. Her eyebrows raised at the sight in front of her. Darien was pushing a nurse away as he recoiled away from her in horror.

“I told you I’d stop by,” she said, stepping into the room. Her eyes flickered between the nurse and Darien. “What’s going on in here?”

“Mr Chiba is being a bad patient,” the nurse sighed.

Serena’s eyebrows pushed together into a questioning frown.

“I really don’t like needles,” Darien complained, straightening.

“Now who’s being the cry baby,” Serena teased. She looked at the nurse. “Give us a few minutes, please.”

“Good luck with this one,” the nurse nodded. “I’ll be back, sir.” She patted the bed on her way out and gently closed the door behind her.

Serena turned to Darien, biting her lip, not quite able to stop the quiver as she held back a giggle. This was a side of Darien she hadn’t seen before.

“Needles?” Serena questioned. “That’s the line.”

“It’s the one thing I’m afraid of,” he admitted. “I can’t stand them.”

Serena pulled up a chair and sat down.

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Serena commented. “I thought you wanted to be a doctor. What’s wrong with needles?”

“I have no issue giving a needle to a patient because they need one,” Darien explained. “It’s to help them. But I just hate that feeling of something sharp piercing my skin.” He let his head fall back onto his pillow and turned to look at Serena. “When I was in the hospital after the crash, I remember waking up and I was six years old. I needed a needle, though I can’t remember what for. A nurse came in to administer the needle and I didn’t realise that she had only recently come out of training and she was nervous. The needle broke while it was in my arm and I had to have it removed in surgery. I developed a phobia of needles ever since.”

“That sounds horrible,” Serena said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be silly, Meatball Head,” Darien replied. “Unfortunately, it’s not something I can get away from.”

Serena pressed her lips together.

“What?” Darien asked, cocking his head to one side. “No comeback to the nickname?”

“I don’t like it,” she lied, “but if I can take the name, you can get a needle.”

“You don’t have a phobia of your hair,” Darien retorted.

“What’s the needle for?” she asked.

“It’s for the MRI that I’m having shortly,” he said.

“So… it’s necessary,” Serena deduced. “Come on. Pretend you’re your own doctor. Would you not give yourself the needle because you’re afraid, or reassure yourself that you’re okay and you’ll feel any pain for just a minute?”

“When did you get smart?” Darien asked in surprise.

“I’ve been volunteering at the hospital for a few years now,” Serena told him. “It’s kind of my job to help patients feel better.”

“Is that what you’re doing?”

“What?”

“Making me feel better.”

“Of course,” Serena smiled. There was a knock at the door and Serena’s head whipped round to look back at the door. “Come on in.”

The nurse entered and crossed the room.

“Are you ready now, Mr Chiba?” she asked. “We need to do this now or we can’t do your MRI later this afternoon.”

“Yes,” Darien replied, pausing. “Yes.”

The nurse looked at Serena and she nodded. So, the nurse turned and grabbed an antiseptic sponge and rubbed it up and down Darien’s arm in the area where the she was going to administer the needle. She looked at Darien with the needle poised in her hand.

“Are you ready?” she checked.

“Sure,” Darien replied uncertainly.

He closed his eyes with a pained look in his face. Serena bit one side of her lip when she watched the nurse’s hand descend to Darien’s arm. Instinctively, her hand shot out and fell on top of his own. His eyes opened to meet hers in surprise, then he felt the needle press against his skin and pierce the surface. He inhaled sharply, turning his hand around to squeeze her hand in response. Serena’s eyes flickered down to their entwined hands and she felt her heart beating in her ears. The nurse mounted the injector on a small trolley next to the bed.

“Right, certainly no more drinking, sir,” the nurse ordered, pointing her finger firmly at him. “You will see me again when we will remove the needle after the MRI.”

“Thanks, nurse,” Darien nodded. He watched her leave the room and his eyes caught sight of their still entwined hands. Confusion overwhelmed him and it was only the needle stuck in his arm that brought him back down to Earth. He considered Serena who was fixated on their hands and he squeezed her hands gently so that she looked up at him. “Thanks, Serena.”

She smiled softly. He pulled his hand away and rested it on his lap, instantly feeling the loss of warmth. Unknown to him, she felt the loss of warmth, too. She continued to feel his touch on her hand long after her volunteering shift ended.

***

Amy walked into the intensive care unit with her mother just a few paces in front of her. There was something about the place that demanded a respectful quietness and visitors and healthcare workers alike couldn’t help but follow the atmosphere that dominated the department.

“Amy, honey,” Dr Mizuno said, “if you can just follow me through to reception, we’ll have a quick briefing then what we want you to do is just to meet and greet families and bring them through to the patient they are visiting. We have regular volunteers doing other duties so it would be helpful if you could support the families visiting today.”

“No problem, mom,” Amy returned.

Truthfully, volunteering today with her mother working in the intensive care unit was the perfect opportunity to get a closer look at the people who fell victim to whatever evil was plaguing the planet. The unit was fuller than ever and as a result, her mother was asked to spend time supporting the unit, rather than working on the usual department she was assigned to. Amy saw this as a chance to embrace her fight for love, justice, and wisdom. Her eyes widened when she saw the long list of names on the whiteboard behind the reception showing the nurses assigned to patient care on shift. She hadn’t realised so many people were being treated here. She just hoped they weren’t all connected to this same evil.

After the briefing, there was an hour before visiting hours, so Amy excused herself to get familiar with where the patients were situated. She felt overwhelmed by confusion which was an unknown for her. She didn’t know what it was that suddenly clouded her mind. She stood at the foot of the first bed, her eyes gazing at the patient lying unconscious there. She felt like she knew them somehow but why? She pressed her lips together and moved to the next bed. Again, the same sensation came over her, that she knew this person. She wracked her mind over and over again trying to recall how she knew this person. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind and walked over to the next bed.

“Oh my God,” she whispered with a gasp. “Mr Baxter?”

She walked over to his side, hesitating before she placed her hand on top of his resting at his side. Mr Baxter was the gardener of Fairview Park and he was one of first people she saved after being woken as Sailor Mercury by Luna. She had befriended him after he recognised her as the student who occupied the same bench on particularly fabulous sunny days with her nose in a book at weekends. She glanced at his chart and realised that the date he was admitted matched with the approximate time a gardener was attacked. She concluded that Mr Baxter must be that very victim.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, squeezing his hand.

She stepped back sadly and turned to the fourth bed. The person lying in this bed was younger, approximately her own age. She tilted her head to the side as she stared intently at the young girl. Then it came to her. She suddenly realised why she seemed so familiar. This girl was in a cram school with her, more specifically, the first cram school she was enrolled in when she transferred to Crossroads Middle School. This cram school was targeted by the Negaverse and was the first battle she had as Sailor Mercury. This girl, like Mr Baxter, was a victim that she scouts had previously saved. Her eyes flickered back to the first two beds she visited.

“Oh no,” she breathed.

She stepped across to the fifth bed and her eyes felt like they’d been opened. Each person lying here had the same injury at their neck, the same symptoms, unconscious and in a death-like state. She twirled around, the fogginess in her brain clearing. She knew why these patients seemed so familiar to her because she _did _know them. Each person with the same symptoms had one thing in common: they were all saved by the sailor soldiers at one point in time.

***

Killian found himself strolling through the park, having just shrugged off Neal’s company. Sometimes the guys were a little too much and he craved his own company. It was weirding him out as it was that Neal was suddenly talking about someone other than himself, which truth be told, Zane and Jackson commented on as an unheard-of event. He had declined Jackson’s invitation to join him to visit the Cherry Hill Temple. It wasn’t really his scene and he had no business being there considering he’d rather spend his time outside in peace. He couldn’t understand Zane’s love of swimming which only seemed to have increased over the last few weeks, though he didn’t care to question why. Only recently, he’d met a new guy named Darien in his physics class. They both seemed to share similar interests, such as karate club and track-and-field events. It amused them both that they each loved chocolate, so much so that they could depend on each other to have chocolate on them to keep them going through the strenuous physics classes that they took together. For Killian, it was really great to talk to someone outside of his friendship group that he knew he liked very much.

He continued to walk deeper into the park, pausing to admire the flower gardens that were perfectly situated around the pathways. There were plenty of grassy terrain for visitors of the park to occupy, particularly on warm, sunny days like this one. He spotted the occasional family having a picnic together, kids running about kicking a ball to each other, even a group of teenagers throwing a frisbee. Some benches were occupied by couples or lone people reading. He passed an artist with an easel set up in front of them overlooking the lake, a palette in one hand and a paintbrush in another. He meandered his way round a huge rosebush and stopped dead when he recognised a girl doing yoga on an empty space on the grass.

He watched as Mina stretched her leg back in a three-legged downward dog and then pushed her leg through into a lunge. She turned her back leg slightly so that her foot was pointed to the side of her mat and she carefully lifted herself with ease into warrior two, with her front leg bent, her back leg straight and her hands held up with each pinkie finger pointing behind her. He observed her deliberately inhaling and exhaling, holding herself in perfect formation. It was at this moment he decided to step forward.

“Mina,” he said shortly, interrupting her.

She broke her gaze that was fixated in front of her and she turned to look at him at her side.

“Killian, hi!” she greeted him, a little surprised. “Hold on two secs.”

She leaned to put her fingertips to either side of her foot and swivelled her back foot so that her knee hovered above the ground, and her leg was straight. She pushed back into her heel and pushed her foot up to meet the front foot. She took a deep breath and lifted so that she stood.

“Sorry,” she apologised. “It’s a real killer when you take yourself out of pose.”

“I didn’t realise you were a yogi,” he replied.

“Only on a sunny day,” she smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“Seeking peace,” he admitted.

“Well, you came to the wrong person,” she laughed.

“I know,” he teased. “I saw you here and figured it would be rude to pass you by.”

“In that case, I’m honoured,” she said, taking a bow.

“I see you haven’t changed the ribbon threaded in your hair,” he commented.

Subconsciously, her hand gravitated to the back of her head where she felt the tail ends of the ribbon tying the top half of her hair back. She let her head fall to her shoulder as she smiled at him awkwardly, a strange feeling for her. She couldn’t help the pang of attraction that went off inside her when she was in his presence. The light of the day gave his grey eyes a bluish hue and his gaze made them seem more intense than ever.

“Well, I always liked red,” she shrugged.

His eyes ran over her red leggings and white tank top, complete with red nails that were clearly done by a professional.

“I figured as much,” he replied, amused.

“Do you like yoga?” she asked.

“I prefer track and field,” he answered. “But I respect those who have the discipline to be with both mind and spirit. It’s a real test of self-love.”

“You should try it sometime,” she suggested. “Might give you the peace you desire.”

“Always thinking on your feet,” Killian mused. He regarded her silently, causing her to frown questioningly. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Alright?” she responded.

“Go out with me.”

Her eyebrows raised so high that they disappeared right into her hairline.

“Excuse me?” she asked, blinking her big baby-blue eyes at him.

“I want to take you somewhere,” he told her.

“Why?”

“When you were singing in Déjà Brew, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you,” he admitted. “And quite honestly, you’re interesting. I can sacrifice a little peace for interesting.”

“Wow,” she breathed. “It’s been a long while since I met someone who didn’t say they wanted a date because of my face.”

“They were the wrong person,” he stated, his grey eyes staring into hers. “Meet me at the Crown tomorrow at 12.”

And with that, Mina found herself anticipating an unexpected date.

***

The girls sat in the shrine with solemn looks on their faces. Amy had sent them all messages for a sailor scout meeting which immediately sent them all into red alert. Raye walked into the large room where they usually held study buddies with a large plate holding a lemon and poppy seed loaf cake on it which she promptly placed in the middle of the table. Serena immediately took up the knife and started cutting it into slices, much to Raye’s chagrin and distributed it out to each of the girls. Then once Serena settled, the girls turned to Amy.

“I visited the intensive care unit,” Amy started, inhaling sharply. “The gardener that was attacked in the park a few days ago was Mr Baxter. That wasn’t the worst of it though. I was there for a few hours volunteering so that I could get closer to the patients in the unit. And what I found was… awful.”

“What was it, Amy?” Serena urged.

“Everyone who was in the unit with the same symptoms are all people that we have saved in the past against the Dark Kingdom,” she revealed. “Yesterday, after I came out of the swimming pool, I saved Zane against a monster. I didn’t have any idea what it was until I saw the same wound on his neck that all the patients in intensive care also have. Zane was lucky because I got there in time, or he would be lying where those poor people are lying right now. It looked like I defeated the monster but I’m not so sure.”

“Why?” Lita asked curiously.

“Look, I did some research and I found some legends,” Amy told them. “These legends stem from Uso and Shinjitsu, otherwise known as _lies_ and _truth_, respectively. There exist rules in the universe to keep the balance of life. I did a bit of a digging and one law of the universe is the law of cause and effect. Essentially, all actions have a corresponding reaction, and this is the very foundation of this legend. Sometime ago, more specifically in the days of the Silver Millennium, there were rumours of a demon that hunts what lies beneath, feeding on what humans hide in the deepest recesses of their souls: their secrets. Therefore, absolute honesty in the presence of this monster is key to their survival. If one dared to contain their secrets, legend states that the demon won’t allow their victim a final chance to process, or at the very least, scream. With a sharp burst, the monster will pierce their victim in the throat, forever trapping the secret within.” She sighed. “Every victim I’ve seen that we have saved in the past showed this.”

“I don’t remember ever seeing Zane before,” Raye frowned.

“Neither do I,” Mina and Serena chimed simultaneously.

“We can’t remember everyone,” Lita pointed out.

“That’s a question that’s on the back burner at the moment,” Amy said, blowing air into her cheeks.

“So… what’s the monster?” Raye asked.

“Legend has it that the name it’s known as is the Croatoan,” Amy replied. “It works to restore a balance to the universe.”

“But isn’t that what we do?” Serena wondered. “We work to protect the universe.”

“Something in the universe is wrong,” Amy mused. “It’s like a seesaw. A little bit more weight on one side and the seesaw will fall to one side. We need to find a way to restore that balance.”

“But we don’t know what caused it,” Lita pointed out.

“Well, whatever this monster was doing, it targeted people we saved before,” Raye commented thoughtfully. “There’s a connection.”

“Darien is in the hospital,” Serena revealed.

Four heads whipped round to face Serena in shock.

“Does he…” Lita started.

“No, he’s fine,” Serena replied. “But whatever happened to him, happened in the park when the gardener was attacked. He at least doesn’t share the symptoms of the monster attack.”

The girls collectively sighed but a cloud had settled over them. Did they have the power to bring the seesaw back to the sweet equilibrium that they worked so hard to protect?


	15. Chapter 15

Serena’s head crashed down onto the table, causing Raye to jump, slopping some juice from her glass down her shirt. She scowled at her, grabbing a towel to pat it down, which thankfully hadn’t been much.

“Serenaaa,” she complained.

Amy looked at the defeated bunhead sympathetically, patting her hand comfortingly.

“You’ll get it, Serena,” Amy assured her. “It just takes practice.”

“But it’s _so _boring!” Serena wailed, her voice a little echoey from her face-planted position on the table.

“What you need is brain fuel,” Lita deduced, pushing a plate of cookies her way.

Serena slowly straightened herself and sadly took a cookie, biting down hard on it. Mina reached out and grabbed two.

“I’m with Serena,” Mina said, “I’m _so _bored. Can’t we do something else?”

“Mina, we have a test on Monday, and I believe both of you failed math last time,” Amy sighed.

“Don’t remind me,” Serena cringed, spraying crumbs everywhere mid-mouthful.

Raye pulled a face.

“Please,” Raye exclaimed, “you couldn’t have swallowed that first?”

“At least I’m good at this,” Serena countered, swiping another cookie.

“That won’t help you pass the test,” Amy said breezily.

“I’ve been trying for hours and I still can’t get it!” Serena whined. “I can’t bring home another 30 to my mom. She’ll kill me!”

“Oh, calm the hysterics,” Raye said impatiently. “Look, we’ll do another hour of this and we’ll have study buddies here tomorrow at ten.”

Serena and Mina’s head whipped round to stare at the priestess with their mouths agape.

“Ten in the morning?” Serena checked. Raye shook her head in disbelief. “But it’s Saturday!”

“Yes, Meatball Head,” Raye replied tartly. “Be here at ten a.m. or you are banned from borrowing my comic books for the next month.

Serena grabbed another cookie and despondently started chewing it, resting her elbows on the table. Abruptly, Mina slammed her hands on the table, causing four heads to swivel round to look at her in surprise.

“Right, I have something to say because I’ve been dying to get it out all day,” Mina blurted out.

“You’ve been able to keep something in this long?” Lita asked, impressed.

“Do you remember that really tall guy with long white hair who was in the group with those guys you know?” she asked, pointedly looking at Amy and Raye. “They came into Déjà Brew.”

“Yeah, what about him?” Serena asked.

“Well, he asked me out on a date,” Mina announced.

“Wait, is that Killian?” Lita asked with interest.

“Yeah,” Mina nodded. “How do you know him?”

“Oh, I don’t,” Lita replied. “But do you remember when I told you guys about the basketball meet and Neal from the high school ended up giving me a nosebleed?”

Four heads nodded simultaneously, eager to hear more.

“Well, earlier that day when Amy battled the _Croatoan_,” she explained, using air quotations with her fingers when she mentioned the monster, “I went to Fairview Park to meet Neal. He said he was going to make it up to me after we had such a sour first meeting, so I went, and he had made an amazing picnic for us. Apparently he shares my love of food and he’s actually a really good cook. He made my favourite cherry pie and it was just gorge.” She noted the frowns on everyone’s faces. “Right, sorry, I’m going off track. Anyway, he told me about all the guys which is how I know his name. Apparently they’ve been friends for as long as he can remember.”

“That sounds lovely,” Serena commented with a smile..

“Oh, it was the best, Sere,” Lita beamed.

“Anyway, back to me,” Mina butt in. “He asked me to meet him in the park in an hour, dressed in something comfortable, and to bring a dress.”

“What a weird request,” Serena mused.

“Well, I presume you’re going to do something sweaty then do something a little classier,” Lita guessed.

“I won’t lie, but he kind of intrigues me,” Mina confessed.

“Wait, hold on,” Raye said, holding up her hands, “so you think you’ll date this guy more than once?”

“I don’t know,” Mina shrugged. “He’s just… interesting.”

“Interesting,” Raye repeated, unimpressed. “Come on, Goddess of Love. _Interesting _doesn’t hold a candle to a flame.”

“Alright, I admit there’s something about him that I can’t ignore,” Mina admitted. “He feels familiar to me somehow.”

Raye’s eyes widened as she recalled feeling that way, too, only a short while ago.

_“Jadeite?” she asked in disbelief. “Is that you?”_

_“Sorry, no,” he replied, confusion flickering across his face. “You must have me mistaken with someone else. The name’s Jackson.” He held his hand out to shake hers. “You must be Raye.”_

“Raye?” Serena nudged her.

Raye turned to look at her and smiled, saying nothing.

“So, what’s been up with you and Zane?” Lita asked Amy. “You know, the attack aside. How’s he been doing?”

“Well, the plan is I’ll be joining him for a swim meet next week with his swimming team at the high school,” Amy replied, the red in her cheeks evident. “And he’s doing okay. I called him yesterday to see how he was, under the guise that I heard what happened to him. He seems fine. Maybe a little shaken up but he’s healing well, and I think he’s just trying to forget it happened.”

“I can understand that,” Lita replied, a sympathetic expression on her face. “Poor guy.”

“Speaking of poor guy,” Raye interjected, turning to Serena, “how’s your guy doing?”

“Darien,” Serena sighed. “He’s okay… I think.” She bit her lip, uncertainty crossing her delicate features. “It just makes me so sad. I mean, he’s this decent, great guy and he can’t even remember who he is. Then he gets attacked but he doesn’t know what did that to him. And to be honest, we don’t either. It just sucks so much. I wish I could help him. I wish I could help him to remember. And to remember me.”

“It’ll come to him,” Mina reassured her. “Really. Queen Serenity wouldn’t have reincarnated us if we were doomed to live the same disasters after another.”

She reached over and squeezed Serena’s hand affectionately.

“Thanks, Mina,” she smiled. She glanced at Amy first before flicking her eyes around the room at the others. “Are we planning to do another training session soon?”

“Yes!” Amy immediately confirmed. “I’ve been working on something to really get our teeth into. After the battle with Croatoan, I’ve had some ideas for exercising our powers.”

“Awesome,” Lita grinned. “It’s about time I had a tension reliever.”

“Now, back to this test,” Amy clapped her hands. She turned to Serena. “Come on, we’re going to do this problem together. We will get something to make sense in your head before we finish for the day.”

“I swear this is the longest Friday of my life,” Serena groaned, reaching for a pencil, and pulling her notepad towards her.

***

Mina let out a big lungful of air in a relieved sigh. That was a really long day and she was ready for some fun. After school, the girls had immediately convened at Raye’s to get down to some serious studying. Mina was pleased to find that she had all of her homework complete for once, thanks to Amy’s tutelage, and the only thing she needed to worry about, with the exception of a looming threat, was the math test on Monday. Knowing they were going to continue revising for the test tomorrow, she decided to put that worry aside for now and put all her energies into this date, whatever that would entail. She felt this fizz of excitement bubbling up inside her as she rounded the corner and saw the park just up ahead. Before she left the girls, she changed into a loose top, a pair of shorts and her favourite pair of sneakers which she tended to reserve for volleyball matches, which always helped her to win. They were her lucky charm. Over her shoulder sat her bag with a silver dress folded up carefully in it. She had no idea what he was intending, but she liked to be prepared. Then she saw the unmistakable mane of white hair and quickly made her way towards him where he stood at the park’s entrance. He spotted her approach and his eyes briefly ran over her approvingly with a nod.

“I see you came prepared, just like I asked,” he grinned.

“Only always,” she beamed back, unable to help herself. “So, where are we going?”

“You’ll find out in a few minutes,” he replied. “Come on. We are catching the bus.”

“The bus?” she repeated.

“The bus,” he echoed, with a smirk. He jerked his head for her to follow and as he planned it, they reached the bus stop right as the bus he wanted pulled in. They hopped on and sat down as he had already paid for tickets in advance. He turned to see her gazing out of the window, a slight slump in her shoulders. “Hey, it’ll be fun.”

She turned to look at him with raised eyebrows.

“What gave you this idea?” she asked, not having a clue what his _idea_ was.

“I asked around about you,” he admitted nonchalantly.

“Wh-hat?” she breathed.

He smirked at her. There was something about his blue-grey eyes that felt so familiar to her, but she didn’t know how. Sooner than she expected, Killian stood and beckoned for her to follow. They departed the bus and she looked left and right, confused.

“Try looking behind you,” he suggested.

She swivelled round and her mouth dropped open.

“Oh my God!” she squealed, jumping up and down.

They were at the volleyball courts just outside of the district. For all volleyball lovers, it was this place that players desired to compete at. The schools typically only came here for championships and they only brought the best of the best. Unfortunately for Mina, that honour was only given to those in high school and above, so she still had to wait a year until she could be part of the honoured few to play here.

She turned to look at him with glee all over her face. He looked down at her from his one foot and five inches height advantage over her with pride and amusement in equal measure all over his face.

“I admit, after I saw you sing in the café, I got curious about you,” he confessed. “Everywhere I went, there you were. Funnily enough, people know of you in high school. You’re kind of known as a volleyball legend. I think they’re actually reserving a space for you to join the team once you enrol next year.”

“I didn’t know that,” Mina mused, slightly flabbergasted. “How did you get a slot to book in here? I’ve heard it’s next to impossible.”

“Let’s say I called in a favour,” he replied, looking left and right to cross the road with Mina following closely behind him.

They entered the building and Mina looked up in awe. There were high ceilings with beautiful architectural ceilings and such wide spaces. The people who walked round were immaculate, even those who visited simply to use the facilities. Everything looked sparkly clean and the reception was vast and spacious, with high gloss surfaces. There was professional signage in strategic places, and she spotted that there were courts for other racket sports, fields in the back and a spa and sauna. This centre wasn’t strictly called the ‘volleyball centre’ as it does cater for various other sports, but for volleyball players such as Mina, it was volleyball paradise. And she was in it. She turned back to Killian to find him gone from her side and stood at the reception talking to someone familiar.

“No problem, man,” the aforementioned someone replied. “Glad to get you in. It’s about time I see some familiar faces around here, you know, besides the regulars.”

Killian turned to Mina and invited her to join him.

“Mina, this is my good friend, Neal,” he introduced her to him. “My inside man.”

“You work here?” she asked, a little jealous.

“I certainly do,” he grinned. “I figured if I wanted to have some money come in alongside high school, it may as well be something I enjoy.”

“I hear you like basketball,” she commented.

“Ah, yes,” Neal surmised. “You must be Lita’s friend.”

“One of,” she nodded. “Thanks for the favour by the way. I’ve wanted to come here for ever. It’s impossible to get into and I’m not quite in high school yet, so I miss out on the chance to come during the championships.”

“You must be pretty good if you compete to that level,” Neal replied, impressed.

“Sure am,” she grinned.

Killian’s eyes flickered between them then chuckled.

“Well, let’s put that to the test, shall we?” he challenged. He nudged Mina playfully in the side which she squirmed away from. “Court three?” he checked with Neal, to which he shot him the thumbs up. “Awesome. Come on, Little Miss Championship.”

They entered the courts and Mina couldn’t help but look at the courts arranged in rows. The huge arena held 16 courts, in two rows of eight. The ceilings were high, and the air conditioning was blasting to keep players from overheating and there was the glorious sound of balls being hit and the occasional grunt from a player. They approached court three and set their bags down. Killian handed her a ball and ran over to the net, where he set a second bag down there which Mina then learned was a bag full of more balls. They immediately started to play, and she was a little startled to learn that he wasn’t half bad. It wasn’t too long until she started pulling out all the punches. Killian started the next game with an overhand serve, where he tossed the ball high above his head and hit it with a wrist snap, giving it a topspin, causing the ball to drop faster than it would otherwise. However, Mina could predict where the ball was heading. She then chose this moment to perform her flying somersault reception. She leapt up towards the ball that was soaring towards her and she hit it expertly, then somersaulting perfectly landing on her feet. She watched the ball rocket over Killian’s outreached hands and hit the ground. She smirked at the win.

“Wow,” he complimented her, breathing heavily. “You really are good.”

“Yeah, well,” she replied bashfully. “We’ve been at it an hour. Did you want to keep going?”

Killian glanced at the large clock on the wall and shook his head.

“I certainly don’t, or we will be late,” he told her.

“Late?” she questioned.

“Why do you think I told you to bring a dress?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “I never end a date in a sweaty mess. Let’s hit the showers, then I’ll meet you outside. We are going to a karaoke diner in town.”

Mina stared at him in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape.

“Come on then, you,” he nudged. “You’ll find the changing rooms here are far superior to any schools.”

“You really thought of everything, didn’t you?” she commented.

“I asked you out on a date,” he replied. “I didn’t ask you if you wanted a bad time.”

She giggled, following him out of the courts and onwards towards the changing rooms where her silver dress was waiting to be put on.

***

Serena plodded through the park, feeling the delicious breeze brush against her skin as she worked to clear her head. She felt the stirrings of a headache begin as she approached the lake which was her favourite view in all of the park. Well, next to the rose gardens. She sighed, gazing out over the water, the tension not having left her shoulders as her mind whirled with worries about the presence of evil in the city, her studies and the test on Monday, her recent academic failures, and of course, Darien.

“Hey, Meatball Head,” the devil himself greeted her from behind.

She spun around in shock.

“Darien!” she exclaimed. “You’re not in hospital.”

“Well observed,” he nodded. “What are you doing out here so late in the evening?”

“Is it late?” she wondered, noting the sun hadn’t quite set yet.

“It’s past 8pm,” he confirmed. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

She blinked at hum, dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected that. Honestly, their relationship still sometimes stepped over the line into their original borderline childish interactions but the nickname aside, Darien appeared to be warming up to her. It meant more to her when she considered that he didn’t really remember her.

“No,” she declined. “Thank you, but no. I just need some time to think before I go back home.”

“What about?” he asked, taking a seat on the bench behind them.

Serena pressed her lips together and joined him. She peered up at him and realised she couldn’t tell him the whole truth, so she decided to give him one of the truths.

“Well, we’ve been having study buddies at Raye’s but I’m just not getting anywhere,” she sighed. “The last test we had… well, I flunked bad, despite all the work the girls forced me to put in at study buddies.” She frowned when she looked at him uncertainly. “Before you say anything, I _have_ been trying. I’m not actively trying to fail, you know.”

“Actually, I wasn’t going to say anything of the sort,” Darien retorted. “It’s rather pleasant to hear that you’re trying. I think studying with the girls is good for you.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she disagreed. “We’ve been studying for hours after school and I was only able to get _one_ thing. I can’t bring home another fail. Mom will kill me.”

She had no idea why she was telling him this. Truth be told, she just missed him. When she held his hand in the hospital when he was getting a needle, she felt his warmth. She missed that warmth. It made her feel stronger than ever and without it, she just felt cold inside. She couldn’t ignore that she just wanted to unload on someone the problems that she could deal with.

“Are you going to be at the arcade over the weekend?” he simply asked.

“No,” Serena scowled. “Raye threatened me with a ban on her comic books for a month if I don’t come to study buddies at ten tomorrow morning.”

“What is it exactly that you struggle with?”

“Math,” she replied flatly.

“You know, Serena,” he started.

“How are you out of the hospital, Darien?” she interrupted.

“Easily,” he replied. “I had the MRI scan and it’ll take one or two weeks for the results to come through. I’ve been observed over 24 hours so there’s no issue with signing me out following the concussion. I was free to go home.”

“Oh,” she responded. “And are you… okay now?”

“I’m feeling myself,” he told her. “I’m not tired anymore and the headache has at least alleviated. I had no other injuries, so on that score, I’m golden.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she smiled.

She gazed out over the lake again and let out a sigh which she didn’t realise was audible for Darien to hear. He looked at her.

“You know, Serena,” he tried again, “I actually do really well with math and science in general. If you need any help studying, I can help you with this. I know it’s frustrating when you don’t get these things, but I’ve learned lots of tricks to make it a little easier, if you’re interested.”

“Why would you help me?” she asked in a small voice.

“You helped me,” he stated. “Let’s say I’m just returning the favour. How about you come to my place tomorrow evening, say six p.m., we’ll have something to eat then we’ll look over the topics that will be covered in your test. We can look at your last test paper and I promise not to say a word about the mark you got. Deal?”

Serena’s eyes flickered down to his hand stretched out towards her in an invitation to shake on the deal. She bit her lip and reached her hand out to take his and they shook on it. Her cerulean blue eyes met his own stormy blue gaze and in that instant, she knew he felt the intensity of the moment, too.

***

Raye swept up the leaves that were blown into the entrance of the temple. Where was Chad when she needed him, she huffed to herself. Once study buddies had ended, she went to meditate for a few minutes before she went about her duties around the temple. She figured it would be a good day to have a nice, long soak in a hot, bubbly bath, filled with her favourite bath oils. Study buddies was tenser this evening than usual as they were all trying to get Serena and Mina to engage with the studying part more than usual as their previous test scores were so poor. Serena seemed to be more open to engaging with it than usual, so the girls had jumped on the opportunity to keep her with it. Raye was glad that she attended a different school to them and had far less tests. Study buddies helped her to keep on top of her work and if anything, it made her exams a breeze, though maybe not to the extent that it was for Amy.

Suddenly, she came over ever so woozy and she leaned on her broom as the overwhelming sensations took over her senses. Sometimes it was a curse to possess a heightened spirituality and the ability to acquire premonitions. Once Serena cracked the joke that Raye’s sixth sense was like Spiderman and when she detected the presence of evil and approaching danger with it, her Spidey-sense was tingling. That earned the blonde a smack with her manga book but in truth, that was what it was like. The feeling passed and Raye looked around.

Something wasn’t right around the temple. She sensed a great evil presence nearby that had no good intention. The odd thing was all was quiet and there wasn’t any movement, except for Deimos and Phobos flapping in circles above the temple. Then she realised that that wasn’t a good sign. There was something lurking nearby, and it unnerved her. That’s when she heard it.

She dropped her broom and ran across the courtyard. Around the corner, that’s when she spotted a tall figure standing over a motionless form on the ground which ground her to a halt. It turned but what looked at her lacked eyes. It was just a hole of nothingness boring into her. Her violet eyes widened in shock as a countless number of tentacles reached forwards towards her from its torso, twisting and thrashing in every which direction.


	16. Chapter 16

“Where is she?” Serena complained.

Amy glanced at her watch on her wrist and raised her eyebrows.

“It’s not like Raye,” she agreed. “It’s half past ten already.”

“Half an hour late,” Lita mused. “Do you think something happened?”

Mina peered through the windows of the temple, straining on her tiptoes.

“I don’t see anyone,” she said.

“Hey, girls,” Chad’s voice interrupted them as he came round the corner of the building with a broom in hand. “Do you need anything?”

“We’re just looking for Raye,” Amy told him. “Have you seen her? She’s late to our study buddy session.”

“And I actually got here on time,” Serena whined. “I could have stayed in bed!”

“You’re only here on time because I came to your house to get you an hour in advance,” Lita reminded her.

“Yes, and I’m still tired!” Serena retorted.

“_Anyway_,” Amy stressed, “have you seen her?”

“Not since last night, no,” Chad answered with a shake of his hand. “I heard her shout through to Grandpa that she had to head out to take care of a friend. We haven’t seen her since.”

“Are you not worried?” Lita asked, furrowing her brow.

“It’s not the first time she’s disappeared at night,” he replied, pressing his lips together. “But of course, I worry. Just don’t tell her that.”

The girls glanced at each other, alarmed. They hadn’t considered that people would notice their absence at night when they were defending the city from evil.

“Do you mind if we go through to study while we wait for her?” Amy asked.

“Not at all,” Chad shrugged. “Go on through. I’ll bring you all glasses of lemonade.”

“Thanks, you’re a peach,” Mina smiled, leading the way through.

After Chad brought them the cool drinks, he left them to their own devices with the intention to get out their books and start studying, only Amy was the only one to do so.

“Guys, where is she?” Lita pressed, staring hard at her communicator. “I can’t get in touch with her at all.”

“Well, it doesn’t help that her communicator is right there,” Serena pointed out, nodding at the Mars communicator sat on the desk stand in the corner of the room.

“Damn,” Lita cursed.

“Do you think we should patrol the city?” Mina wondered.

“Not necessary,” Raye’s voice answered from the doorway.

The girls turned round in shock to find Raye leaning against the doorframe with her right arm in a sling, a plaster across her right cheek which covered a heavy graze and unknown to the girls, stitches in her side where she had been injured.

“Oh, my God!” the girls exclaimed in unison. “Are you okay?”

“Well, I’ve been better,” Raye smiled weakly, crossing the door’s threshold, and steadily getting down to the floor to join them at the table.

“What happened?” Lita demanded, right as Serena squealed.

The girls looked at Serena with raised eyebrows, narrowing their eyes at her.

“Raye, your side!” she cried.

Raye glanced down, stretching her t-shirt out to see the blood bleeding through. She pulled a face.

“Just great,” she grumbled. “I must have pulled a stitch.” She pulled her shirt up to reveal her ribs where multiple punctures could be seen down her side. She ran her fingers under the puncture that must have opened with the pulled stitch and she sighed.

“Oh, Raye,” Lita muttered, visibly cringing. “What happened?”

Amy handed over a damp cloth and a towel over to Raye so she could clean up, and Raye gratefully accepted the bandage to stick over the wound. Raye carefully wiped the blood from her skin and dried off before pressing her bandage over it, then pulled her t-shirt back down.

“Thank goodness this top is black,” Raye sighed. She looked at the girls gravely before snatching up a glass of lemonade sat in front of Serena before gulping back a few throatfuls. “Well, I came across the evil that I’d been sensing around the city. I just didn’t expect to find it on sacred ground here last night.”

“And were you able to…” Serena hesitated.

“Yeah, it’s gone for now,” Raye assured her. “But Amy also faced it and then I did, so I doubt it’s gone for good.”

“So, how did you get into this state?” Mina asked.

“Well, truthfully…”

_She dropped her broom and ran across the courtyard. Around the corner, that’s when she spotted a tall figure standing over a motionless form on the ground which ground her to a halt. It turned but what looked at her lacked eyes. It was just a hole of nothingness boring into her. Her violet eyes widened in shock as a countless number of tentacles reached forwards towards her from its torso, twisting and thrashing in every which direction. She leaped out of the way but wasn’t quite fast enough as the tentacles whipped round in random directions and caught her in the side, where she felt three tentacles pierce her skin sharply._

_“Ah,” she groaned. She looked down at her torn white kosode, noting the red staining spreading from her wound. “Damn.” She reached into her robes and pulled out her Mars transformation pen. “Mars crystal power!”_

_In a beam of red light, Sailor Mars now stood in front of her opponent. She winced at the pain in her side as she cartwheeled out of the way of the creature’s hands coming out to swipe at her. She brought out an ofuda from the shrine and held it in front of her, chanting quietly into the talisman, feeling her powers as a priestess amplify with her powers as a sailor guardian, charging her attack. _

_“Rin, Py­_ _ō_ _, T_ _ō_ _, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!” She opened her eyes and threw the ofuda to land on the enemy coming at her again. “Evil spirit, be exorcised!” she yelled._

_For a split second, the Croatoan appeared to stand perfectly still, then it calmly reached up to swat the ofuda away. Mars watched in horror as the ofuda fell to the ground._

_“You’re supposed to be paralysed!” she exclaimed. _

_Before she could react, the sharp tentacles shot out towards her neck and she yelped as she made to duck out of the way, but the tentacles struck her across the cheekbone, ripping at her skin. She fell to the ground and rolled a few times before coming to a standstill. Her head shot up, her eyes wide. _

_“You’re immune to magic,” she murmured under her breath._

_She leaped to her feet, calling on her home planet to summon fire to surround around herself, then bringing her hand out to absorb the flames into her hand._

_“Mars snake fire!” she yelled, throwing the fire from her which took the form of a snake which slithered towards the Croatoan in flickers of blazing flames before wrapping itself around the creature’s form._

_She covered her ears as she heard its ear-splitting screeches of pain. She heard a moan behind the Croatoan, and she saw the figure on the floor move to get to its feet._

_“No, stay down!” she shouted._

_Distracted, she didn’t notice the creature turn to her, shooting its tentacles out to grab her arm. She gasped as she struggled against its grip. Then she watched in horror as it turned to face the figure who turned to look at her. Her mouth dropped open in shock at who she saw._

_“Jadeite?” she called out in disbelief._

_Those same grey eyes flickered over to gaze at her as he brought his hand up to use the heel of his hand to brush his blonde hair back from his face. His brow furrowed at her in confusion, then his eyes shot back to the creature that was still clinging to her. She watched as the Croatoan opened its mouth to reveal razor-sharp deadly teeth, but it wasn’t this that she should have feared, as it proceeded to open its mouth and shoot an acid-like saliva directly towards him. _

_“No!” she screeched, as she dived towards him, her left arm outstretched as she landed on him, narrowly avoiding the lethal saliva. Then she felt something in her right arm snap as she felt the sharp tug pull her arm in the opposite way that she fell, and she cried out in pain. “Get down!”_

_She shot her hand out, the mark of Mars glowing in her palm, flames coming to life spreading up her arm until the Mars Arrow materialised against her flattened hand pointing towards the monster stepping forward towards them, the tentacles writhing haphazardly. _

_“Mars flame sniper!” she cried, releasing the fiery arrow which hit the Croatoan bullseye in the mouth._

_She breathed heavily through the pain coursing up the bones in her arm, the burn in her cheek and the dull ache in her side that was weeping blood, staining the leotard of her sailor suit. She watched as the Croatoan was turned into ashes, the wind blowing the remains away in the breeze. She turned back to find Jackson lying where she last left Jadeite, unconscious and a little bruised._

_“Oh God,” she whispered, shaking her head, feeling like she was losing her mind._

“And that was it,” Raye finished, noting to herself that she hadn’t told the girls about what she saw in Jackson. She grabbed the glass of lemonade again and took another long drink. “I took Jackson to the hospital and I was told that I had a broken arm and needed stitches, then I left.”

“How did you explain your injuries?” Amy asked curiously.

“Car accident,” Raye replied. “Luckily, the marks from the tentacles that took hold of my arm didn’t need explaining thanks to the bruising that I gained from a broken arm.”

“Are you okay?” Serena asked. “And you know, is Jackson alright?”

“I’ll heal,” Raye smiled. “I’m just glad we heal faster than regular people.” She sighed. “And Jackson… he’s fine. I believe he was released a short while ago. He had a concussion and has some bruising. He doesn’t know that I was the one who brought him in.”

“I’d think it might be obvious if a nurse tells him that a miko with long raven hair brought him in,” Lita pointed out.

“Girls, are we really going to study with our friend in this state?” Serena asked innocently.

“Ha! Nice one, missy,” Raye cracked, nudging her in the side with her good arm. “You’re not getting away with this one. I may have some healing to do, but you still have that test on Monday. Not failing can be your gift to me. Now let’s get going.”

“Oh, Raye!” Serena wailed.

The girls collectively sweat dropped with a sigh, letting their heads fall into their hands.

***

“Ah, it’s so beautiful outside,” Lita smiled, raising her face to the sun.

“It is,” Amy agreed, as they walked side by side to go to the Fruits Parlour café in the afternoon.

“This is exactly what we need,” Lita told her. “Cake and milkshakes. Study buddies was hard going today.”

“Yeah, and Serena actually seemed to be engaging today,” Amy nodded, surprise laced in her voice.

“I think her study date with Darien later is a bit of a motivator,” Lita laughed with an evil glint in her emerald green eyes.

“I’m amazed that Serena is willingly going to study more after already having studied for four hours today,” Amy commented.

“I think it’s more to do with being in Darien’s company than studying,” Lita replied. “If it was anyone else, she’d be running for the hills.”

“Now, that’s true!” Amy chuckled, pushing open the doors to the café.

“It’s really encouraging that Darien offered to spend time with her, especially to help her,” Lita commented. “You know, I hope it helps them to get close again.”

“Me too,” Amy said, sliding into a booth next to the window that overlooked the streets below.

“Hey, girls,” a voice greeted them. “Can I take your order?”

“Andrew!” Lita exclaimed. “How is it that you always manage to be in the café or the arcade whenever we go into either one?”

“I have a very good-looking twin,” he twinkled.

“Ha! Yeah, right,” Lita teased.

“I’m not the one that beams every time I see me,” he laughed, nudging her shoulder gently.

That set Lita off giggling with a pink tint rising in her cheeks. Amy closed her eyes in disbelief.

“Andrew, can we get a green tea for me and a banana milkshake for Lita?” Amy ordered.

“No problem, Amy,” Andrew nodded, scribbling it down on his notepad that he brought out of his apron. “And let me guess,” he said holding his finger up in the air, “a chocolate tart for you and a slice of cherry pie for Lita?”

“Bingo,” Lita winked. “Thanks, Andrew.”

She watched him walk away and Amy stared at her, her eyebrows pushed together.

“Okay, what was that?”

“What?” Lita asked innocently.

“You were flirting with him!” Amy accused. “I thought you were dating that guy.”

“I’m not _dating_ Neal,” Lita stressed. “He just… wanted to apologise for the nosebleed at basketball, that’s all. I haven’t seen him since. We’ve kind of had other things on our minds.”

“Unlike Mina,” Amy replied. “Hasn’t she just gone off to meet Killian for coffee?”

“I’m more surprised that she’s going on a second date with a guy,” Lita sighed. “They usually don’t last more than one date. He must be something special.”

“He makes her smile,” Amy pointed out. “I’m happy for her.”

“Me too,” Lita nodded. Her expression darkened. “Do you think Raye is alright?”

“She’ll be okay,” Amy said, in as much to reassure herself than Lita. “If she’s shaken up, she wouldn’t tell us.”

“It must have been really quick, or she’d have called us,” Lita pondered. Andrew appeared at their side with a tray laden with their order. “Thanks, Andrew.” He gave the girls a smile as he disappeared to serve the next table. “I’m a little concerned that whatever this thing is seems to have some sort of immunity to magic, such as Raye’s priestess powers.”

“I have a theory about that,” Amy said. “I think we are able to damage it in some way with our planetary powers. I was able to disintegrate it by using my powers of water and ice, whereas Raye was successful in killing it with fire from the inside out.”

“I just hope we don’t all end up having one to ones with it,” Lita winced. “Poor Raye.”

“We’ll support her,” Amy reassured her. “She already ripped the plaster off her face before we left study buddies earlier and the swelling is already going down.”

“Yeah, but there’s still one heck of a bruise,” Lita countered.

“Fancy seeing you here,” a familiar voice rang in Amy’s ear.

Amy looked up to see Zane gazing down at her fondly.

“Zane, hi!” she greeted him. “I haven’t seen you in a few days. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you,” he nodded. He thumbed behind him. “You haven’t met. This is my friend, Neal.”

Neal stepped up behind Zane.

“Hey, man,” he said, clapping his hand on his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Neal, meet Amy,” he introduced him. “She’s the swimmer I told you about.”

“Ah, the girl who was a dolphin in a past life,” Neal grinned, winking at Amy. He turned to Lita. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Lita smiled.

Amy frowned at Lita, her eyes flickering between them. She looked up at Zane.

“Zane, this is my good friend, Lita,” she introduced them.

“Charmed,” he grinned at Lita.

“Good to meet you,” Lita replied. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Oh, really?” Zane asked, raising his eyebrow at Amy.

Amy blushed and reached for her tea to take a swig, burning her tongue on the hot beverage in the process.

“Would you like to join us?” Lita asked, flashing her eyes at Amy.

Amy choked on her drink, coughing into a serviette.

“Are you alright?” Zane asked in alarm.

Amy flapped her hands at him to indicate she was fine, the tears running down her cheeks as she coughed on the tea that went down the wrong way. Lita shuffled over, patting the seat next to her.

“Join us,” she insisted.

“I’ll scoot in next to Amy,” Zane announced. “Who knows when we might need to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre?”

“If that was the case, I think Amy would be better off if I did it,” Neal laughed.

“Oh, please,” Zane retorted, “if you performed the Heimlich, you’d kill her!”

“Not my fault you’re a weed,” Neal replied with a smirk. He glanced at the plate in front of Lita. “Cherry pie?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What else?” she challenged, raising her eyebrows back.

“Good shout,” Neal commended, raising his hand to hail a waiter.

***

Serena took a deep breath, reaching out to press the doorbell. She heard the ring of the bell chime through the apartment within and she stepped back waiting. Within seconds, the door opened, and she found herself face to face with Darien.

“Hello, Meatball Head,” he greeted her. When a frown appeared on her face, he quickly retracted. “I’m sorry. I’ll behave.” He stepped back. “Come on in. Dinner is just about ready.”

“Great,” she smiled, whipping her bag off her shoulder, and pulling her jacket off.

“You can just take your bag through to the sofa and hang your jacket up with my coat by the door if you like,” Darien suggested.

Serena heard Darien clatter about in his kitchen as she stood in front of his coat rack by the door. She ran her fingers down the sleeve of his jacket, inhaling the sweet scent of roses that always seemed to be around him. She took it off the hook, hugging his jacket close to her, burying her face into the material. She raised the corners of her mouth just a bit as she felt the warmth of his jacket against her. She missed his embrace. She sighed, hanging it back up on the hook and hung her jacket up on top of his coat. She walked through into his living room and dropped her bag next to the sofa, sitting down. A few minutes passed and she heard Darien’s footsteps shuffle through into the living room.

“Hey, dinner’s ready if you’d like to join me,” he offered.

She got up and followed him through. Her eyes widened at the table laden with plates positioned opposite each other and serving dishes full of curry and rice. She sat down, inhaling the delicious scent of spices into her lungs and she smiled appreciatively.

“I presumed you liked curry,” he told her.

“You presumed correct,” she nodded enthusiastically.

A beeping sounded in the kitchen.

“Help yourself,” he invited. “I just need to grab this last thing from the kitchen.”

She reached over for a ladle and scooped up two ladles full of rice, then picked up two servings of curry and piled it on top of the rice on her plate. She heard Darien run the tap in his sink, but she couldn’t wait anymore for him to join her. She hadn’t been able to eat anything since the muffins Lita brought to study buddies because she felt anxiety swirling round in her stomach all day in anticipation of spending time with Darien. But now she was here, she was ravenous. Immediately, she started shovelling forkfuls of curry into her mouth, sighing out the heat that was burning her mouth.

“Wow, you must be starving, Meatball Head,” Darien commented, placing a plate piled with pan fried roti bread on the table between their place mats. “Slow down. No one’s going to take it from you.”

Serena slowed her chewing and swallowed, taking up her glass of water and taking a throatful.

“Sorry,” she apologised. She spied the corners of his mouth twitching and she frowned. “What?”

“Erm, you have curry on your cheek,” he replied, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing.

“Oh,” she grunted, embarrassed. She reached for a serviette next to her place mat and wiped her cheeks, just to be safe.

“You’re good,” Darien twinkled, taking a roti bread, and piling some curry onto his plate.

“It’s good,” Serena praised, prompting a smile from Darien, then paused. “Did you put carrots in this?”

“No, I didn’t,” he replied. “You don’t like them, right?”

“I never told you that,” she returned, faintly.

The truth is that she had told him sometime before the battle with the Dark Kingdom, but she thought he’d forgotten everything about her after they were reincarnated following their rebirth after they defeated Queen Metalia. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t both taken aback and thrilled that he remembered something so insignificant about her.

“Lucky guess,” Darien grinned.

“You’re a good cook, Darien,” she told him.

“Thank you,” he replied. “Do you cook?”

“Lita tells me I could burn water,” she said wryly. “But curry is the one thing I _can _cook!”

“Ah, so I’m feeding a professional,” he teased her.

“Well, my curry doesn’t look as good as yours, but it tastes good,” she defended herself.

“Kudos for trying,” Darien nodded. “It’s a first step in the right direction. Let’s eat up then we’ll study. I have a chocolate trifle for later.”

Serena’s eyes lit up and he had to scoop up a forkful into his mouth to stop him from bursting out laughing at the expression on her face. They continued to eat until the plates had been cleared, thanks to Serena unable to stop herself from having second helpings. Then she helped him to clean up and then she brought her bag through to the dining room so that they could work comfortably at the table.

Darien ran his eyes down her previous math test and his eyebrows seemed to be getting higher and higher on his forehead. Serena was starting to wonder if they were going to shoot off his head entirely like in a cartoon.

“Wow,” he said, lacking anything better to say. “Well, I think I see the problem that you’re having.”

“Math?” she guessed, somewhat sarcastically.

“I mean besides that,” he replied. “There are definitely some topics that we can cover today. I notice that you just guess answers on particular subjects which I think you could learn easily. We won’t have time to cover everything that you’ve learned in your classes, but if you’re up to it, I’m happy to invite you to study with me tomorrow.”

Serena stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Unless you don’t want to?” he checked.

“No, no, that’s not it,” Serena said, shaking her head. “It’s really kind of you… and kind of unexpected, but do you have time to help me all weekend?”

“I’m not going to hold your hand every step of the way,” he told her. “Really, I’m just your humble guide. I’ll teach you and I’ll be there to give you help when you need it while you solve problems by yourself.”

Serena paled in front of his very eyes.

“Don’t look so worried,” he assured her. “You can do this. You just need motivation to do this and not get distracted. So today, your motivation is chocolate trifle. I have faith in your, Serena.”

She swallowed. He’d called her Serena.


	17. Chapter 17

“Oh, hey, Darien,” Killian greeted him. “You’re here early.”

Darien turned from the counter where he was grabbing his early morning coffee and came face to face with his new friend from physics class.

“Hi, Killian,” he smiled. “I’m always here at seven a.m. It’s the perfect shot I need after my run. How are you?”

“I’m good, good,” he nodded. “A morning run. What time do you wake for that?”

“5:30,” Darien replied.

Killian pulled a face.

“You’re crazy,” Killian said wryly. “I’m an early bird myself but I’m not sure I could wake early just to go for a run. I’d rather hit the gym in the afternoon then go for a bear claw.”

Darien laughed, as Killian reached over for his americano.

“Thanks,” he nodded to the barista, then he turned to Darien. “So, what’s going on today?”

“I’m helping a student out with their studies in the afternoon,” Darien told him. “But I don’t have anything going on in the morning. I was thinking about finishing off that physics assignment we have due in on Friday.”

“Oh, I need to do that,” Killian mused, smacking his hand to his forehead. “I’ve got it with me now actually, as I had the intention of doing it. I guess if you want to get together, it will force me to do it.”

“Oh sure,” Darien agreed. “My apartment is just round the corner. Let me grab my books and I’ll meet you at the library. I need to be back at my place my one, but it shouldn’t take us all morning.”

“Great,” Killian nodded. “I’ll see you there and grab a table.”

They walked out together and parted ways as Killian made his way to the library. He walked into the building and immediately felt the effects of the atmosphere in the library, his brain already settling into study mode. He walked past the physics section then doubled back and found what he wanted, after recalling a recommended book from his professor. He continued making his way through the library heading for the study rooms. He glanced into one and immediately noticed Mina sat with two friends, one of which he recognised as Neal’s date. He found the next room was empty and walked in, plonking his bag on the floor. He reached in and brought out his books, bottle of water and pastry he bought at the café. He sighed, then got up, and approached the next study room. He knocked gently and the girls looked up. He walked in with a tentative smile aimed at Mina.

“Hi, Mina, ladies,” he greeted them.

“Killian, hi,” Mina responded. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m having a tea party,” he replied sarcastically, then followed up with, “I’m here to work on an assignment with a friend.”

“That’s early,” Mina commented.

“I could say the same for you,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, well my mother dragged me out of bed early this morning,” Mina grumbled. “She said she didn’t want me to disappoint her in yet another test.”

Amy and Lita looked at each other in amusement. It was no secret that Mina didn’t like her mother.

“Mina,” Lita coughed, “do you want to introduce us?”

“Oh sure,” Mina shrugged. “Killian, meet my friends Amy and Lita. Amy, Lita, meet Killian.”

“Hi,” the girls greeted him in unison.

“Nice to meet you,” Amy smiled.

“You’re welcome to join us with your friend,” Lita invited, then grimaced when she felt Mina’s foot collide with her shin.

“Thank you, but I’ll decline,” Killian replied. “We’ll just be studying for our physics class and I don’t want to interrupt your studies. We’ll be in the study room next door.”

“Hey,” Darien called.

Killian looked up to see Darien approaching him. Darien glanced into the study room Killian was facing.

“Oh, hi girls,” Darien waved. “I didn’t expect to see you here so early.”

“Yeah, mom…,” Mina started.

“Skip it!” Lita interrupted, putting her hand on Mina’s.

“Oh, Killian,” Amy asked, continuing when he turned back to face her, “how’s Jackson… after his accident?”

“He seems to be doing okay,” Killian nodded. “A little bruised, but otherwise, he’s fine. Thanks for asking after him. I’ll tell him.”

“Of course,” Amy smiled.

“See you, guys,” Darien said, holding his hand up to them as he followed Killian out to their study room. “I love the mornings. There’s not many people around.”

“Yeah, it made it really easy to bag a room for study,” Killian agreed.

Darien put his books down on the table and took a gulp of coffee from his takeout cup.

“More coffee?”

“Keeps my brain ticking,” Darien chuckled.

Meanwhile in the room next door, Mina’s head was on the table.

“Seriously, why did you do that for?” Mina complained.

“I think the correct question is why did you kick _me_ in the shin?” Lita exclaimed.

“What?” Mina said defensively. “I don’t want Killian in earshot while we study so he’ll know how stupid I am when it comes to maths!”

“Mina, you’re not stupid,” Amy chided patiently.

“Well, you needn’t have kicked me like that,” Lita responded, turning back to her paper.

“It got rid of him,” Mina replied in a small voice, picking up her pencil to resume studying.

***

“Raye, let me!” Chad suggested, releasing her grip on the broom. “You should be taking it easy.”

“I’m fine, Chad,” Raye insisted.

“You have an arm in a sling, stitches in your side and grazes and bruising,” Chad pointed out. “Please, take it easy.”

“Chad, we’re going to have a problem if you keep treating me like I’m made of glass,” Raye muttered.

“You worry me…” Chad started, scrambling for the words, “us, me and Grandpa.”

He blushed, shifting on his feet. Raye stared at him in surprise.

“I’m fine, Chad,” she reassured him. “If you can clear away the boxes with the talismans, charms and amulets for sale, that would be helpful.”

“Of course,” he agreed, continuing to sweep up outside the front of the temple which Raye had been attempting to do before he intervened. “Raye,” he said, pausing his sweeping momentarily, “can I possibly cook dinner for you later?”

Raye whipped her head round to gawk at him, then she was conscious of a third party stood at the top of the stairs. She looked back to find Jackson stood there, flicking his eyes between the two of them. Then, disregarding Chad, he approached her, and the bruising that adorned his skin was more than obvious as he came closer, despite the large shades he had over his eyes that hid the heavy bruise across his cheekbone.

“Raye, hi,” Jackson greeted her. “How are you?”

“Oh, Jackson,” she winced at the injuries evident on his skin.

“It’s nothing,” he said, waving it off. “I’m a little sore but it’s nothing that won’t heal.”

“Excuse me,” Chad muttered, scurrying off towards the stall out the front of the temple where they sold talismans and the like.

“How are you feeling?” Jackson asked, his eyes resting on her swollen cheek where the grazing was still raw and angry on her skin.

“A little sore,” she smiled wryly, “a little tired. But it could be worse.”

“You know, I don’t even remember what happened,” he admitted.

“I heard you _did _have a concussion,” she pointed out.

“What happened to you?” he asked.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. This is when things got a little complicated. The lying. It was one of the hardest things about being a sailor scout.

“I got hit by a car,” she lied. “I was trying to get a cat out of the way of an oncoming car, and I wasn’t quite fast enough. It was fine. I was taken straight to the hospital and they patched me up.”

“How odd,” he contemplated. “I was told I was involved in a car accident. Was I the cat?”

She peered at him uncertainly seeing the amusement on his face. He was teasing her.

“You sure were, Smudge,” she smiled. “So, are you going to be in school?”

“Oh, yeah,” he nodded. “Besides the bruising, I’m otherwise in good health. Surely you’re not going?”

“Grandpa doesn’t want me to,” she shrugged, wincing as the movement caused some pain up her arm. “But I’m fine and I see no reason to stay at home. I’ve got Chad running around trying to do all of my chores as well as his own, which is driving me mad, so I think it’d be better if I were at school.”

“I was just wondering if you’d be open to coming out with me on Monday?” he asked.

“Seriously?” she speculated, staring at him uncertainly. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to ask you out, we’re both feeling rubbish and it might cheer us up,” he replied.

“Fair enough,” she nodded, then shot him a brilliant smile. “Sure.”

“Great,” he responded. “I’ll swing by at six on Monday.”

“Sounds good,” she replied.

She watched him turn and descend the stairs from the temple, unaware that Chad was watching her. He’d heard their conversation and couldn’t hold back the sigh pass his lips and the sadness well up in his stomach. He decided against asking her to spend time with him this evening.

***

A pillow whacked Serena round the back of her head, jolting her awake. She looked around bewildered and then realised that she had been drifting off after Darien had left her to solve some maths problems in his absence while he was cooking in the kitchen. She peered up to find Darien’s reproving face glaring down at her with an eyebrow raised and the pillow in his hand.

“Oh, Darien, what was that for?” she protested, rubbing the back of her head.

“Stop whining, Meatball Head,” he countered. When she made to answer her mouth, he wagged his finger in front of her. “Ah, ah. You are absolutely a Meatball Head. I told you to answer these problems while I was making us lunch. You’ve done,” he peered over her shoulder, “one question and attempted the second. There’s three more I wanted you to do before lunch was ready.”

“Hey,” she retorted. “Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have even bothered opening my book.”

“Small victories,” he said tartly. “Don’t fall asleep while I finish up in the kitchen.”

He turned to make his way back to his kitchen, when he suddenly stumbled when he felt a pillow collide with the back of his head. He straightened himself and turned in shock to see Serena giggling on the floor in a fit of laughter. He scooped the pillow up off of the floor and threw it back at her so that it collided off her stomach and flew over the other side of her. She sat up, gaping at him.

“This means war,” she declared, reaching up to grab the pillow, but she wasn’t fast enough as Darien had already grabbed another pillow from his sofa and launched it at her. It hit her square in the face when she turned back to him, causing her to fall backwards flat on her back. She rested on her elbows, glaring at him. “That wasn’t cool.”

“You started it,” he reasoned.

“You hit me in the head with a pillow first!” she argued.

“And you fell asleep,” he smirked.

She gasped, her mouth hanging open. She then pressed her lips together, picked up both pillows and hurled them at Darien. He ducked as one flew over his head but the other one got him right in his abdomen.

“That’s it,” he exclaimed.

Serena’s eyes widened and she leaped up with a squeal. She ran out of the room, hearing him chase after her as she sprinted through each room. Suddenly, a pillow was plummeting through the air towards her and she saw Darien in front of her. She swivelled on her heel and dashed back the way she’d come. She looked behind her and saw Darien had disappeared. She rounded the corner then felt the air get knocked out of her as she felt a pair of arms wind round her middle, temporarily lifting her feet from the ground.

“I win,” he grinned.

She turned to look at him and was taken aback by how close his face was to hers. She blushed, feeling her heart beating in her ears. She swallowed.

“I guess you did,” she conceded.

He set her down on the floor and she pushed him away.

“Next time, you won’t be so lucky,” she promised, striding across the room, and plonking herself down in front of her open book.

“I look forward to it,” he laughed, passing her, and entering the kitchen again.

He turned the stove right down, leaving the heat to keep the tomato soup warm as he brought the cheese toasties off the grill and popped them onto plates, cutting them into triangles. He reached for two bowls and ladled the soup carefully into each bowl, setting them down onto two trays to carry them in on. He rested his hands against his kitchen sides, thinking about his meatball head sat in the next room. It was weird to think how spending more time with her had softened him towards her. He couldn’t think of anyone else that he would actively be so silly with. She was the only person who could make him act so childish. He sighed, shaking his head. He opened his drawer and brought out some cutlery in case she wanted them, though he strongly suspected that besides a spoon, she wouldn’t. He swept up both trays in his hands expertly, thanks to training as a waiter at a high-end hotel, and joined Serena. She looked up and grinned.

“Amazing,” she cried, moving her books out of the way so that he could set down the trays on the table. “This smells incredible.”

He smiled at her enthusiasm, taking everything off the trays and putting them out of the way.

“The tomato soup is made from scratch,” he told her. “Don’t worry. There’s no carrots in it.” His eyes twinkled at her as peered at him with a mouthful of toastie. “Try dipping the cheese toastie into the soup. It tastes even better.”

She swallowed and did as he suggested. She chewed and a smile spread across her face.

“You’re right!” she nodded eagerly. “How have I never tried this?”

“You haven’t had lunch with me,” he chuckled. “So, how are you feeling about this test tomorrow?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I think I’m understanding more.”

“Do you feel like you can pass?” he asked.

“I hope so,” she admitted.

“Come on, Serena,” he said sympathetically, the use of her name causing her eyes to meet his, “we still have the afternoon. We can focus on the things that you need just a little more of a push with and then work on things that I feel you could understand if we worked on them. It might be that you have a different way of studying.”

“Okay,” she sighed.

“Do you want some motivation?” he prompted, with a smile in his voice.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“I have strawberry cheesecake for later,” he grinned.

“That’ll do it,” she nodded, happily taking another bite of toastie dipped in tomato soup.

***

“Don’t tell Andrew, but the cakes in that café are better than in the Fruits Crown Parlour,” Mina stated. “I could have pigged out on all of the desserts in the display case.”

“I have to agree with you there,” Lita laughed. “It’s probably a good thing that Amy has got a training session ready for us.”

“Did she say when we’re going to train?” Mina asked, strolling alongside Lita down the sidewalk.

“Erm, yeah,” Lita recalled, “she said sometime this week after school.”

“It’s a shame we couldn’t do it this evening,” Mina replied.

“I know,” Lita nodded, “but she’s thinking of Raye. Raye doesn’t want to be excluded just because her arm is in a sling.”

“Honestly, it would be best for Raye to rest,” Lita sighed. “Hey, do you want to go in here?”

She gestured to the music store and Mina nodded. They entered and grinned. Immediately, Mina led the way to the back of the store where new music was displayed, and they started to peruse the music.

“I love it here,” Mina announced. “I’ve been wanting to find new music for a while. I’ve been asked to come back to Déjà Brew.”

“Oh, that’s awesome,” Lita congratulated her. “That’s great news.”

“Yeah, I love it there” Mina nodded, flicking through albums. She picked out four albums with a grin and took a pair of earphones from a turntable stand.

“You’re in a happy mood,” Lita observed.

“Sure am,” Mina agreed. “Homework is done, we’ve done a lot of study in preparation for the test tomorrow and I have music and new clothes.” She paid for her goods at the till and followed Lita out of the store. “And it’s a gorgeous day. What’s there not to be happy about?”

“That’s a fair point,” Lita nodded. “Do you mind if we go into the sports store? I need to grab more sportswear specifically for basketball.”

“Yeah, sure,” Mina obliged, following her into the desired store.

They looked around and Mina told her she was going to head to the shoes to find some trainers for volleyball. Lita left her to it while she reached the women’s section and found three pairs of shorts, two new tops and a hoody. She was staring intently at a pair of leggings, debating if they were going to be the tragic see-through leggings which will inevitably develop holes in the seams or if the cheap price were too good to be true and they would actually last her for some time. That’s when a shadow fell over her. She looked up into the dark blue eyes of Neal.

“Hey,” he said. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Oh, hi,” she replied. “I think I should be the one saying _fancy meeting you here_. I’m sure pink looks great on you.” She raised her eyebrow in amusement as he shrugged.

“I’ll have you know that I can pull off any colour,” he replied. “I saw you here as I came in with Killian. We’re looking for some tennis rackets. Are you here alone?”

“No, I’m here with my friend, Mina,” Lita replied. “So… tennis?”

“Yeah, it’s a great game,” he answered. “Hey, Mina’s into sport, right?”

“She sure is,” Lita nodded. “You work at the volleyball centre, right?”

“I sure do,” he returned. “You both should join us for a match.”

“I don’t really play tennis,” she admitted.

“No worries,” he said, shaking his head. “We have spares.”

“Sure, sounds fun,” Lita smiled, turning back to the leggings.

“The key is a long shirt,” he said.

She frowned, confusion passing her face.

“The leggings,” he nodded at them, “buy them and try them and if you find they’re as transparent as a window, just throw on a long shirt. No one will be none the wiser.”

“See this a lot at the volleyball centre, do you?” she laughed.

“You wouldn’t be surprised,” he replied drily.

Mina appeared at their side, her eyes flicking between them.

“Hey, Neal!” she waved happily, a shoebox under her arm. “Have you got what you wanted?”

“Yep,” Lita nodded, throwing the leggings over her arm. “Let’s pay. The guys have invited us to join them for a tennis match.”

“Oh, cool,” Mina replied. “I’m up for that.”

“Awesome,” Neal grinned. “I’ll meet you guys outside and grab Killian. It’s getting late anyway, so we could grab some coffee or something.”

“Sounds good,” the girls chimed.

Later in the evening, the girls found themselves in the park with the guys, a take-out hot chocolate in their hands, and a decaf for Neal and Killian. It was odd, they mused, being out in the early evening as the sun was saying goodbye to the day. It almost felt a little intimate.

“So, how about Monday?” Neal asked the group. “Tennis match?”

“Monday’s good with us,” Lita replied, looking at Mina who nodded in agreement.

“Our maths test will be over so I’m up for a little tension release,” Mina grinned.

“So, the study session at the library worked out then?” Killian asked.

“Well, the hope is I don’t crash and burn,” Mina said, laughing it off.

“That bad?” Killian wondered, taking a drink of his decaf.

“No, not at –” Mina started to replied, stopping as Neal made the oddest noise.

They turned around and saw him lying on the ground. Killian knelt down to check on him, then something threw him aside, knocking him against a tree. The girls looked at each other, startled. Mina ran over towards Neal, then something tripped her up and she fell to the ground, unable to stop herself with her hands, and she landed on her face with a crash.

“Mina!” Lita cried.

Then a looming, shadowy silhouette stepped forward out onto the pathway, and Lita felt a chill go through her body as its attention turned to her.


	18. Chapter 18

Lita dived out of the way into a forward roll right as multiple tentacles shot towards her, missing her by inches. Her head shot up, her eyes widening as she watched Mina stagger to her feet and the creature turning, focusing on her.

“Mina, look out!” she screeched.

Mina straightened herself and gasped at the sight before her.

“Shit,” she exclaimed, expertly dancing out of the way of the twisting, and thrashing tentacles coming at her. She shot her hand in the air, shouting, “Venus crystal power!”

“Jupiter crystal power!”

In delicate beams of light, Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter stood in Mina and Lita’s places.

“Oh!” Venus cried, as a tentacle caught her wrist. Immediately, numerous other tentacles reached up her arm, taking a strong hold on her. “Jupiter!”

The tentacles started to reel Venus in closer to the Croatoan calmly stood there, its hand now reaching towards her. Venus turned to look into the face of the monster with its hold on her. It wasn’t anything human that stared back at her. A long, dangerously sharp, beak-like nose was strangely not the first thing that startled her. When she set her eyes on where she expected to see a face, the skin – which she immediately realised was a loose term – was leathery, wrinkled and lacking the softness of human flesh. Where the eyes should be, were two black holes that made her feel like it was seeing into the depths of her soul. Its hand grasped her upper arm and she watched its lips peel back to reveal razor like teeth, making her promptly scream.

“Jupiter,” the soldier of protection called, shooting her hand out, the symbol of Jupiter glowing in the palm of her hand. Crackles of green electricity reverberated up her arm, the gemstone on her tiara lighting up, as she started to twirl around, then reaching her hands up above her head, pirouetting in such a way to break a prima ballerina’s heart, the leaves of oak swirling around her in a column of energy. “Oak evolution!” The lightning energy around her charged the leaves at the creature with its hold on Venus in a blast of electrical energy.

The leaves cut at the tentacles provoking an inhuman ear-splitting scream. Venus’ arm was released, and she leaped out of reach. However, neither of them expected its head to turn and shoot an acid-like saliva at the soldier of love. It hit her in the back, and she screamed in pain as she fell to the floor, her body twitching with the pain.

“Venus!” Jupiter shouted. She shot her hand out, flower petals swirling around her. She spun around and cried, “Flower hurricane!” The flower petals, charged with her planet power, took on a sharp appearance, the light of the moon highlighting the deadly sting on their edges. They shot at the Croatoan, immobilising it in its place.

She ran across the space to Venus’ side.

“Venus, are you okay?” she asked frantically.

“The pain,” Venus croaked, her hands shaking as she tried to reach for her comrade.

“Do you have the energy to shoot an attack at it with me?” Jupiter asked, her eyes flashing at the still paralysed creature, narrowing her eyes at its fingers moving minutely.

“Quick,” Venus nodded, weakly. She pointed her finger in the direction of the Croatoan and cried, “Venus crescent beam!”

Jupiter’s antenna in her tiara raised upwards, collecting lightning from the clouds that covered the sky. She raised her arms above her head, spinning rapidly on the spot, creating a ball of blue lightning in her hands. As the ball enlarged, she shouted, “Jupiter coconut cyclone!” and she blasted it at her opponent.

The beam of golden light from Venus combined with the shock waves of high-voltage energy in a large spherical blast, incinerating the Croatoan, leaving only a pile of dust. Venus’ hand fell to the ground and Jupiter turned, cringing at the sight of her back. The back of her sailor suit had melted away, revealing the burns on her skin down the length of her back. She knelt to her side, helping her to her feet, supporting the majority of her weight. She heard groans behind her, and she turned and cursed herself for forgetting about Neal and Killian.

Neal was holding Killian up against him, keeping him steady, both of them staring at the sailor soldiers in shock.

“Are you both okay?” Jupiter asked, feeling Venus fading.

“We’re fine,” Neal nodded, uncertain. “Lita and Mina… where are they?”

“They’re okay,” Jupiter assured him. “We got them to a safe place.”

“Thank you,” Killian murmured.

“Go home and rest,” Jupiter suggested. “You’ll be okay.”

“Will she?” Killian nodded at Venus.

“She will be,” Jupiter nodded, holding Venus close to her and leaping away.

***

“Oh my God,” Serena whispered, staring at Venus lying on her front on Raye’s bed, her hands over her mouth.

Amy was sat behind Venus on a chair, her Mercury computer in one hand as she tapped away at it, gathering data on the acid infecting her skin.

“It’s still burning her skin tissue,” Amy muttered. “We need to find a way to stop this.”

“Serena,” Raye murmured, “do you think you can help her?”

“Help her? How?”

Serena’s eyes flickered between Raye and Venus, her gaze lingering on her unconscious friend.

“The silver crystal,” Raye reminded her urgently. “You may be able to heal her.”

Serena bit her lip.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “The last time I used it… I died. And the person who used it before me died as well. What if it does more harm than good?”

“We will support you,” Lita insisted.

“Without Venus?” Serena nodded at her fellow blonde. “And I don’t have Darien.”

“You don’t need him,” Raye urged. “Really, Serena.” She nudged her. “Planet power, remember?”

Serena rubbed her forehead with her hand. She looked at Amy.

“Amy, do you think you can stop the burning?” she asked. “I don’t think I can fight the magic that’s in the saliva as well.”

Amy turned with a slight smile at the corners of her mouth.

“Mercury crystal power!” she said loudly, in a beam of light, transforming into Sailor Mercury. She raised her hand over Venus’ back and whispered, “shine snow illusion.” The temperature immediately around Mercury lowered to below zero, snowflakes falling from Mercury’s palm. The snow covered Venus’ back and Mercury reached up to her ear lobe, bringing down her Mercury goggles. She nodded, looking at Serena, Raye, and Lita. “I’ve stopped it spreading.”

“Serena,” Raye prompted with a gentle nudge.

“Moon crystal power,” Serena called, transforming into Sailor Moon.

Lita and Raye nodded, transforming into Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars, joining hands. Mars reached for Mercury who stepped back and took hold of her hand. Moon approached Venus and took her Moon compact from her bow and waved her hand over the top of her locket to reveal the silver crystal.

“Moon crystal power!” she cried, waving her fingers over the silver crystal once more.

“Mercury crystal power!”

“Mars crystal power!”

“Jupiter crystal power!”

“Unite!” they shouted in unison.

Venus was bathed in a delicate pink beam of light. The soldiers watched as Venus’ skin started to heal and gradually knit together. Moon watched in fascination as she felt Venus accepting her power, embracing it like a dear friend. Moon’s hand shook as she felt her own energy draining as Venus’ was revitalised. She felt the powers of Mercury, Mars and Jupiter holding her spirit steady, even as her own body started to fade. She fell to her knees and the light from the silver crystal faded, as Moon gave in and slumped over.

“Sailor Moon, are you alright?” Mars’ voice murmured in her ear.

“Yeah, I’m just so,” Serena sighed, “tired.”

She leaned heavily against Mars, aware of the gentle green and blue lights temporarily illuminating the room as Jupiter and Mercury let go of their transformations. Amy rushed to Venus’ side to examine her back. The skin had knitted together, the evidence of a long scar down the length of her spine remained. Venus started to stir, and Lita leapt forward to help her, as her eyes opened, trying to move off her front.

“Are you alright, Mina?” Lita asked, as Mina let go of her transformation. “How did you maintain your transformation?”

“My energy wasn’t drained,” Mina whispered. Her eyes flickered to Serena leaning against Raye, her unbound arm around her and her eyes widened as she straightened herself on Raye’s bed with help from Lita. “Serena, are _you _okay?”

“If you are, then yes,” Serena nodded.

Mina looked round the room at her friends.

“Thank you,” she breathed, resting against Lita’s side.

***

“So, how did you do?” Lita asked Serena the next day outside of the classroom they just vacated where they had taken their maths test.

“Well, I didn’t spend 90% of the time doodling and the initial 10% fretting, so I guess better,” Serena supposed with a shrug.

“That’s encouraging,” Amy smiled.

“Do you think the not-so-secret study dates with Darien helped?” Lita smirked.

“Hey, it wasn’t a secret!” Serena replied defensively. Lita chuckled. Serena pursed her lips and continued. “Anyway, yeah, I think it really did. You know all that stuff we’ve been doing for weeks on algebra?”

“In which time you spent complaining that you couldn’t care less what _x _is?” Lita asked.

“Yes, that,” Serena nodded. “Well, I actually read the question, and knew exactly what I needed in order to solve the problem. Then I moved on and trigonometry didn’t feel as threatening anymore.”

“That’s great,” Amy grinned, squeezing Serena’s upper arm.

“I’m pretty sure there was still some nonsense in there though,” Serena sighed.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lita assured her. “You made the effort and we’re proud of you, Serena.”

“Thanks, girls,” she smiled.

“So, how are you feeling?” Amy asked.

“Still a little tired,” Serena admitted. “I guess a little fatigued. I think that’s when the nonsense started to make its way onto my answer sheet.”

Amy and Lita glanced at each other, reaching for each of Serena’s hands.

“How’s Mina?” Serena murmured.

“She’s okay,” Amy replied. “She’s resting at home. I hear that she’s been offered the chance to take the test on Friday after school.”

“I’m glad,” Serena nodded. She looked at Amy. “Are we going to do the training as planned?”

“Yes, but much to Raye and Mina’s chagrin, they will be joining us, but they won’t be participating,” Amy told her. “I’m thinking tomorrow. How’s that with you both?”

“Yeah, sure,” Lita agreed. “I’ve got nothing going on. Actually, I’m supposed to be meeting Neal later for tennis with Killian… and Mina.”

Amy and Serena frowned at each other.

“How’s that going to work?” Serena asked. “Mina is still recovering and they’re going to have questions about where the two of you went after the attack.”

“Well, we have to speak to them at some point,” Lita shrugged. “Why not now?”

“I suppose,” Serena said, biting her lip. “Will Mina be able to join you?”

“She says she’s fine,” Lita replied. “I don’t know. We could do something else.”

“How are you going to explain Mina’s… situation?” Amy wondered.

“Physically, Mina looks okay,” Lita reasoned. “I mean as far as the guys know, we were caught in the crossfire too.”

“And you both got yourselves to safety,” Serena said tartly.

“Yes, but they don’t know that!” Lita retorted. She turned to Amy. “Are you hanging out with _Zane _this week?”

“Why do you have to say his name like that?” Amy accused, willing the rising blush in her cheeks to go away. “And yes, I’m joining him for a swim meet later this week.”

“You never did tell us why you never took up swimming competitively,” Serena said. “I mean, you would be the best swimmer on the team.”

“It’s not about being the best,” Amy shrugged. “I just feel like I don’t have the time.”

“Why?” Serena replied in exasperation. “You’re ahead of all your classes by at least one full term and you take advanced programme classes!”

“What do you want me to say?” Amy responded. “I love the water. It’s part of me. I just never had a strong desire to turn it into something to be examined in some way.”

“How about you do something that you love for you?” Lita suggested gently.

“But I –”

“We know you love to study but it’s not the same,” Lita interrupted. “Just think about it. Maybe Zane has a point: it’s time to participate in something that gets you in the real world and with real people. Something that doesn’t involve saving the world on a daily basis.”

***

Raye ran the brush through her long raven locks, spraying it with her hair care products that smelled like violets and freesias. She picked up her hot brush and used it to lift her bangs, so her hair didn’t rest flat against her forehead. She ran her comb through her fringe and picked up her bag, looping it over her shoulder. She adjusted her arm sling on her shoulder, moving the padding she’d placed under it so that she wouldn’t feel so much discomfort against her skin and sighed. She couldn’t wait for this to come off. She left her bedroom and followed the sound of the clattering of pans coming from the shrine’s kitchen. She halted at the door to find Chad furiously scrubbing at the crockery and pans. She glanced at the open bin next to the door to see the remains of a dinner dumped in the bottom, the shards of a broken plate thrown on top of it.

“Hey, Chad,” Raye greeted him. “Would you mind helping Grandpa with the roof at the back of the shrine? It’s still leaking.”

“Sure, why not?” he replied shortly.

Raye glanced at the thrown away food in the bin and considered his tense back and erratic movements as he worked to clear away the kitchen.

“What’s your problem?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he answered.

“Well, there’s waste in the bin, one of my broken plates and if you work any harder on that pan, steam is going to come out of your ears,” she responded.

“Raye, I’m busy,” Chad said stiffly. “If we must have this conversation, let’s do this another time.”

“Chad, please,” Raye sighed. “I’m on my way out. I don’t have time to dance around this.”

“By all means, go on your date,” Chad insisted, whirling around to face her.

Raye frowned, putting her free hand on her hip.

“Is that what this is about?” she demanded. “Some guy asked me to join him for dinner and you have a problem.”

“_I _asked you to dinner, Raye,” Chad exclaimed. “_I _did. And you said yes to some guy with bruises and who hasn’t been there for you.” 

“When did you ask me to dinner?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Before Mr Tall, Blonde and Jawline appeared,” Chad replied. “And you only heard the words that came out of his mouth. Goodnight, Raye.”

He turned back to the sink and continued with the dishes. Raye swallowed, staring at his back facing her. That hurt more than any of the words he’d said. She left the room and came to the front of the shrine where she found Jackson stood at the top of the shrine staircase. He turned and grinned at her.

“Good evening, Raye,” he greeted, approaching her. “How are you?”

“I’m getting there,” she smiled weakly. “Your bruising is healing.”

“Oh, yeah,” he shrugged. “Yellow looks great on me.”

He caught her eye and she smiled, shaking her head.

“Do you want to go?” he asked.

“Sure,” she nodded.

“I thought we’d grab a drink first before we go on to the restaurant,” he told her, walking by her side as they continued down the stairs. “I reserved a table at seven.”

“Sounds lovely,” she replied.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and he turned to her. He saw the confusion in her violet eyes and he hesitantly brought his fingers up to hover above the angry red grazing on her swollen cheek.

“It still looks really sore,” he observed.

“It is,” she breathed. Her gaze met his grey eyes and she didn’t see Jackson anymore. It was _him_. For a long time, she’d felt like a vision had been coming to her slowly. She just needed her eyes to catch up with what she felt inside. “What made you curious to come here?”

“You intrigued me,” he confessed, bringing his hand back down and nodding for her to follow her down the street.

***

“Are you okay, Mina?” Killian asked, leaning against his tennis racket.

“Yeah,” she replied, breathing in and out steadily. “I just knocked my back yesterday after that attack in the park.”

He frowned, approaching her.

“Are you injured?” he wondered.

“I’m alright,” she reassured him, “really.”

“Yeah, we are sorry that we weren’t there after the attack,” Lita reiterated. “The sailor soldiers made sure we were safe and assured us that you would be okay.”

“We are,” Neal nodded, twisting his body side to side as he swung his racket. “We’re glad you met us after school. It was a weird night.”

“Yeah,” the girls said in unison.

“Look, how about we finish this game, then go for ice cream,” Neal suggested. “We’re all feeling a little crappy and you know, we earned it.”

“How?” Lita asked with a wry smile.

“We showed up,” Neal grinned.

“Fair point,” Lita laughed.

“You know, I expected Mina to be better at tennis,” Neal mused.

Mina’s mouth dropped open and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Hey, I compete in ball sports, not racket sports!” she exclaimed.

“Where’s your competitive edge?” Neal challenged.

“Oh, do not go there,” Lita warned.

“Why?” Neal asked, raising his eyebrow, a glint in his eye. “Is she not up for it?”

Lita casually strolled over to Killian’s side and leaned towards him.

“Yep, we’re screwed,” she said to him.

She watched as Mina reached down for her tennis racket, gestured for Killian to follow her to their side of the court.

“Come on,” she called. “Let’s do this.”

Two sets later, the two couples found themselves eating ice cream and wishing that they had come two sets earlier. Mina however found strength where she hadn’t had it before. There was something about the guys’ company that felt somehow familiar to the two of them. 


	19. Chapter 19

“Hey, Meatball Head,” Darien called.

Serena whirled around on the sidewalk and spotted Darien approaching her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Meatball Head, really?” she asked.

“Oh, come on,” he grinned. “I know you love it, really.”

Serena swallowed, secretly admitting to herself that she did. She was his Meatball Head, and nothing was going to change that for her. It was her hairstyle that made him take notice of her and she wouldn’t take that away, despite that the nickname continued to irritate her, mainly because Raye used it to taunt her.

“I do not,” she insisted. “Anyway, what’s up?”

He frowned, cocking his head to one side.

“You called me,” she reminded him.

“Oh, right,” he laughed. “Actually, I spotted you and figured it would be rude to follow you to the arcade. Plus I’m a little surprised to see you out of school at this time. Don’t you normally have detention at this time?”

“Ha, ha,” she replied. “Actually I didn’t have detention. The girls came to get me this morning, so I was on time to school and Lita brought some breakfast bars which I ate on the way to school. It’s usually eating during class that that gets me detention.” She paused, a smile spreading on her face. “Or that I didn’t do my homework which hasn’t been the case, thanks to all the studying I’ve done with the girls.”

“That reminds me,” Darien piped up. “Your test was yesterday. Do you know how you’ve done yet? I know it was only yesterday but sometimes marks can have a quick turnaround.”

“You’re right about that,” Serena nodded. “I found out this afternoon. I won’t be bringing home a 30 to mama today.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her test paper, holding it up in front of Darien’s face triumphantly. He took the test from her and his eyebrows raised, impressed, seeing a big red 60 on the page. “I have to say that even though there is definitely some nonsense on my answer sheet, it’s better than a fail. I can’t wait to show mama later.”

“Well done, Meatball Head,” he congratulated her. She glared at him and he chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. “Serena,” he corrected himself. “In all seriousness, I shouldn’t be calling you that. You’ve done really well, and the hard work clearly paid off.”

“I owe the girls a lot for their endless patience, but I really do owe you a thank you,” Serena declared. “Are you going to the arcade?”

“That’s not a thank you,” Darien stated, folding his arms across his chest.

Serena glared at him.

“Did I say I was done?” she asked tartly.

“I am going to the arcade,” he nodded.

“Come on then,” she invited, thumbing behind her.

She turned around and strode onwards towards the arcade with Darien following behind.

“You know, it looks a little odd with me following behind you like this,” he called after her. “Slow down, Meatball Head.”

“I told you, I don’t like that name!” she shot over her shoulder.

Darien doubled his pace and put his hand on her shoulder, pulling her back.

“Hold the fire,” he ordered.

“Fine,” she conceded. “I want my milkshake.”

“And is that how you thank me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow teasingly.

She looked at his hand on her shoulder, feeling suddenly warm. He removed his hand awkwardly, rubbing his fingers across his brow. They walked together to the arcade and entered, immediately seeing Andrew at the counter talking to some kids. He looked up and waved at them, which they responded to with a hearty wave of their own, as they made their way over to a booth by the window. That’s when Serena realised that Darien still had her test paper in his hand. His eyes followed her gaze and he smiled.

“Sorry,” he said, handing it back over.

She took it back and stared at the front of her paper where the big red ‘60’ was staring back at her. She offered him a smile.

“Thank you, Darien,” she appreciated, putting her hand on top his hands clasped together on the top of the table. His eyes widened at the sudden contact. “I appreciated your help. It was nice to not feel like the stupid one in the class for once.”

“You’re not stupid, Serena,” he told her.

She looked into his stormy blue eyes and could see that he really believed that. She looked down into her lap bashfully, taking her hand off his hands on the table, immediately feeling the lack of his warmth on her skin.

“So, tell me,” Darien encouraged, “you said that there was definitely some nonsense on your answer sheet. Why was that? Was it material we didn’t spend much time on?”

“It wasn’t so much that,” Serena replied, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. “I’ve just been feeling really… fatigued. When I was coming to the end of my test, my head just felt really foggy and I couldn’t concentrate anymore.”

The truth was that she hadn’t quite recovered 100% after using the silver crystal to heal Mina. She felt confused when she saw the expression on Darien’s face.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing,” he replied. “It was just ironic because I’ve been feeling that way since yesterday. For absolutely no reason, I just started feeling off. It passes.”

Serena was a little taken aback to hear that. When she battled alongside him, he would often help her when her energy depleted. She often wondered if it was a power he had: to preserve life. He reached over and picked up her paper which she’d left on the table in front of her. He started flicking through her answer sheet, and she watched in fascination as his eyes flickered across the pages quickly as if he were reading at a hundred miles per hour. After a few minutes, he put it down and looked at her.

“You know, I can see places where you can improve,” he said, tracing his finger around the six and zero written on the front of her test script. “There are certainly topics you can spend time working on, and there’s also other places you can learn a neater way of answering the questions. But there are also some areas where it’s clear you didn’t want to do any more maths.”

“That is going to be the case regardless,” she mused, spotting Andrew approaching them. “Hey, Andrew!”

“Hey, you two,” he greeted them, his head flicking between them uncertainly. “I can’t say I expected to see you both sitting together… in one piece.”

“Darien helped me to study for my test yesterday,” Serena enlightened him. She whipped up the test from under Darien’s hand and she pushed it in Andrew’s face with glee. “I can’t wait to show this to mama.”

He took a step back and looked at the red mark staring back at him. He grinned.

“That’s excellent, Serena,” he commended. He turned to Darien. “Good job, man. If she continues to work with you, she may end up coming out of school with an A.”

“Are you joking?” Darien asked, causing a frown to form on Serena’s face until he continued. “I plan to turn that 60 into an A plus.”

Serena’s mouth dropped open and Andrew’s face seemed to be mirroring hers. He looked at her, carefully putting the test back on the table.

“Erm, coffee and a milkshake?” he asked, a little dumbfounded.

“Please,” Serena replied sweetly.

When Andrew walked away back to the counter, she turned to Darien.

“Okay, what was that?” she demanded.

“What?” he responded.

“You’re going to turn a potential A into an A plus?” she quoted.

“I was going to ask you if you wanted further tutoring,” he answered. “The truth be told, you put in real effort and I appreciate that. Neither of us were wasting our time and the result was a good one. I’m open to helping you.”

“Why?” she pondered. “I only sat in the hospital with you while you got a needle. We are more than square.”

“It’s not about that,” Darien protested. “Really. I just think it’s good for you and I’ve seen you more than enough times upset over another failed grade.”

“Thanks, Darien,” she smiled, feeling a warmth in her stomach and oddly feeling a little more herself since she used the silver crystal.

“Your coffee and milkshake,” Andrew announced, setting them down in front of them.

“Thanks, Andrew,” Darien nodded. “Put these on my tab, would you?”

“No, Darien,” Serena objected.

“It’s fine,” Darien argued. “Let’s call it another motivation for the next time.”

She smiled at him, warming at the smile that reached his eyes as he looked at her.

***

“Hey, girl,” Lita embraced Mina gently. “How are you?”

“I’m alright, thanks to Serena and you girls,” Mina smiled, falling in step with Lita as they strolled through the park together. “Resting at home with my mother there isn’t as relaxing as you’d imagine.”

“Actually, I haven’t once imagined that it’s been a breeze being at home with your mother while you continue to heal,” Lita replied.

“Well, she continues to be an absolute menace,” Mina grimaced. “Thanks for joining me. I know that Amy will be busy at her AP class at this time and Raye is working at the shrine. I imagine that Serena is at the arcade right now or in detention and I don’t think this is really her thing.”

“That almost sounds like I’m your last choice for company,” Lita said wryly.

“Of course not,” Mina replied. “Actually, you were my first choice. My words just came out wrong.”

“No worries,” Lita smiled. “To be honest, Raye probably would have been my first choice for this sort of thing but as you said, the shrine doesn’t run itself. Truthfully, I think she’s having some issues with Chad.”

“Why do you think that?” Mina asked.

“She told me there’s a little friction between them,” Lita revealed. “I didn’t press for details but as you know, Raye can be quite a private person.”

“Yeah,” Mina agreed. “That’s a shame. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

They approached a patch of empty grass which seemed to be dazzling under the afternoon sun.

“Here looks great,” Lita commented, taking both of their yoga mats from her shoulder, and rolling them out onto the grass.

“Thanks, Lita,” Mina appreciated, dumping her bag on the ground, and taking out a bottle of water.

“No prob’,” she replied, taking out her water and taking a long glug of water from the bottle.

Mina stepped onto her mat and sat in a cross-legged seat, working to control her breath before moving into some floor stretches. Lita followed suit and in silence, they did some floorwork before transitioning into some standing poses.

“So are you okay missing out on training later?” Lita asked as they free flowed.

“Yeah, it’s best that I do,” Mina nodded. “I know Raye’s not happy, but she does have a broken arm and her face is still healing. Does she still have the stitches in?”

“They’re dissolvable ones,” Lita replied, going back into a downward dog. “It will be at least a week until they disappear. But at least she can’t burst the stitches anymore since her sailor strength kicked in and the healing is speeding up.”

“Oh yeah, I feel it, too,” Mina said, going into a plank and carefully taking herself into an upward dog, stretching out her abs. “It’s funny how after a little time, we suddenly feel our powers as sailor soldiers helping us to recover.”

“And boy, am I glad for it,” Lita declared. “How are you doing with vinyasa yoga?”

“It’s helpful actually,” Mina admitted. “It’s stretching the muscles and encouraging my skin to move as it heals. Being cooped up at home really doesn’t achieve that much.”

As she came up into a warrior one pose, she suddenly noticed Killian strolling in the park ahead of them. She looked at Lita who was already straightening her front leg and going into a triangle pose so she hadn’t noticed. Killian however noticed them and approached them.

“Hi, girls,” he nodded at Mina, as Lita was currently bent over in a triangle pose.

She looked up.

“Oh, hey, Killian,” she greeted him. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“I like to walk in the park in the afternoons after school,” he said. “It’s an excuse to get away from the guys anyway.”

“Yeah, I can see how Neal would be a bit much,” Lita grinned.

He chuckled, turning his attentions to Mina.

“How’s the back?” he asked.

“It’s alright, thanks,” she nodded. “Actually, it’s kind of why we’re here. I asked Lita to do some yoga with me. Some rehabilitation for the body as I recover.”

“Smart girl,” he saluted teasingly.

“So, what’s up?” Mina asked, reaching for her water.

“This wasn’t quite in the plans today but while I’m here,” he started, absentmindedly pulling his jumper down to sit properly on his waist, “I wonder if you wanted to go out with me again. Just me and you. No third wheels.”

“Hey!” Lita exclaimed.

Killian winked, turning his attentions back to Mina.

“Erm, s-sure,” she stuttered.

“Great,” he replied. “I’ll text you. See you around.”

He waved as he turned and continued on his route round the park. Lita blinked as she watched him retreat and she turned to Mina.

“He has your number?” she asked.

“Of course,” she replied. “We did after all go out on a date. Neal doesn’t have yours?”

“To be honest, no,” Lita cringed.

“Wow,” Mina said flatly. “I’m not even going to ask how that works.”

“We’ve been out a few times, but we’ve just agreed on a time and place,” Lita shrugged. “Honestly, he just irked me when we first met, and I know he’s just trying to make up for our first meeting. I don’t really know what’s going on between us anyway.”

“Well, you’ll never know if you’re still living in the stone age,” Mina replied.

“Anyway, what’s with you?” Lita accused. “Another date? I thought you dated and ditched.”

“I don’t know,” Mina shrugged. “Usually I get bored of a guy and I’ll move on when there’s nothing going on between us and I know that nothing will. But Killian… I just get this feeling from him. He doesn’t feel like a stranger. I feel like I’ve known him before. He just intrigues me. I know that sounds really weird.”

“It sounds very un-Mina,” Lita commented. “But hey, I’m happy for you if you found someone that you want to give another shot.”

***

“Mercury, seriously?!” Sailor Moon yelled as she leaped out of the way.

“Come on, Sailor Moon!” Sailor Mercury retorted. “Stop messing around.”

Sailor Jupiter performed a forward roll and landed in front of them, wiping her brow.

“Phew, Mercury,” she commended. “You really outdid yourself with this one.”

An explosion sounded not twenty feet from them, and debris shot out in all directions.

“Jupiter,” she called, shooting her hand out, the symbol of Jupiter glowing in the palm of her hand. Crackles of green electricity reverberated up her arm, the gemstone on her tiara lighting up, as she started to twirl around, reaching her hands up above her head, pirouetting on the spot, the leaves of oak synchronising with her movements in a swirling column of energy around her. “Oak evolution!” The lightning energy around her charged the leaves at the debris coming at them acting as a defensive move, slicing the large pieces flying at them into smaller pieces causing them no harm.

“Nice one!” Moon applauded. “Oh, tripe.”

She cartwheeled out of the way of the oncoming substance that flew towards her. She righted herself and looked to her left where she had been standing to see a horrible grey slime dripping off a car wreck, the metal beneath it disintegrating from its solid state and dissolving into a pool of melted car. She gulped.

“That really is not a great touch, Mercury,” she said with a pained expression.

Two giant clawed hands appeared on the top of two overturned cars piled on the top of the mountain of numerous other vehicles and then the creature showed itself, crouching on the top of the pile, glaring down at them. Its long tail whipped back and forth in jerked movements, its snake-like tongue appearing with each breath. It started to crawl down like a cat from the top of the wreckage, its body suddenly splitting apart into a clone of itself.

“Mercury!” Moon gasped.

“Mercury bubbles!” Mercury yelled, her hands held out in front of her, spinning around, she brought her arms up to cross each other and swiped them out of the crossed position, shouting the final word, “blast!”

A tremendous gust of bubbles shot out of her hands, causing a large cloud to settle over the area, significantly reducing the visibility. Moon looked around, trying to sense where the creatures were. Then she made a strangled cry as something grabbed her round the neck, yanking her backwards so that she landed on her back. She cried out as she was then dragged across the ground, her hands at her neck, trying her best to pull at what had taken hold of her.

“Sparkling wide pressure!” Jupiter’s voice thundered somewhere from in the depths of the Mercury mist.

Moon’s eyes widened as she watched the ball of lightning shoot through the mist and over her, crashing into the creature that had her. She felt whatever was around her neck disintegrate and she steadily got to her feet, her hand round her neck.

“You alright, Sailor Moon?” Jupiter cried.

“Yeah, thanks, Jupiter,” Moon shouted back. Then in the next moment, she realised her eyes had adjusted and she saw a large figure come up behind the shadowy form of Mercury. “Mercury, look out!”

But the creature knocked Mercury to the side effortlessly and Jupiter instantly reacted.

“I call upon the planet Jupiter,” she called. The antenna in her tiara appeared, crackling with energy as a powerful thunderstorm brewed in the sky. The power of the electricity collected in her antenna which materialised in her hands in the form of a sparkling white light. “Jupiter thunderbolt!” She hurled the bolt of lightning towards the creature stalking towards them, but it simply swotted it away and it rebounded off a nearby overturned car with a bang.

“Jupiter, get out of the way!” Moon cried, leaping from the spot she was stood in and landing on Jupiter, bringing them both crashing to the floor.

She looked up as she saw the creature reveal its jaws and her eyes widened in fear.

“No!” she cried, shooting her hand out towards it, a bright shining pure-white light firing from the palm of her hand.

She watched as the creature disappeared from sight, the only evidence of it having been there being the mist around it momentarily showing the outline of where it once stood before the mist came together like a curtain. She was suddenly aware that Mercury had brought the hyperspatial sphere generate shield down when she heard footsteps approaching her.

“Okay, Sailor Moon,” Raye’s voice said almost accusingly, “what the hell was that?”

She looked down at her hand in shock, feeling the stirrings of her power from the silver crystal.

“I have absolutely no idea,” she breathed.

“That was pure moonlight,” Mina murmured, looking to Mercury.

Mercury nodded in response, tapping at her Mercury computer.

“Do you know how you did that?”

Sailor Moon simply shook her head helplessly, unable to tear her eyes away from her hand.

“It had the power to obliterate a monster with one clean blow,” Raye muttered to herself. “That’s something I’ve never seen you do before.”

“None of us have,” Jupiter agreed, staring at their leader in awe.


	20. Chapter 20

Raye pulled out her antiseptic wash and cotton pads from her bathroom cabinet and gently pressed the pads against the graze on her cheek. It was healing well now, and the bruise had, thankfully, yellowed and was now on its way out. She winced as the antiseptic made her scrape sting a little, but she’d suffered worse. She noted how the angry red wound had started to fade to sharp pink scratches across her cheek which made her face look better than it was. She sighed as she awkwardly tipped a little more antiseptic onto a cotton pad, cursing her broken arm. She could feel the fibres in her broken bone knitting together to repair the bone and she thanked the goddess Selene for her accelerated healing abilities. She looked down and lifted up her shirt to examine her stitched up wound, nodding to herself when she noted how well it was healing. Not that she would admit it, but she was glad that she was refused to participate in their sailor training. She found that she was healing quicker than she expected and she was feeling much more like herself, with the exception of the healing bones in her arm. She narrowed her eyes at the offending cast with a sigh. She put everything away and pulled her Shinto priestess robes on.

She left her room and turned down the hall to take up her broom, mop, and bucket. She entered the kitchen and started to fill up her bucket with hot, soapy water. She held her mop and broom under her arm and lifted up the bucket and carefully walked out. She kept her eyes firmly trained on the bucket in her hand and walked out into the corridor, suddenly aware of a tall figure approaching her. She looked up and gasped as she immediately came to a stand still as Chad stopped abruptly, one inch from banging into her. She stared up at him in shock, feeling the strain in her hand as she gripped the handle harder.

“Sorry,” he apologised, bowing to her before passing her and continuing down the corridor.

She watched his retreating back and sighed. It had been two days since they’d last spoken. He disappeared when she appeared, and he had avoided speaking to her in situations when they could have conversed. It was uncomfortable for her and truthfully, she didn’t know how to approach him.

She got to work in the entrance of the shrine and started to sweep up the floors, then turned to her mop to clean up. The strong fragrant of citrus lemon overwhelmed her senses as she worked, and she smiled at the shine that was left in the mop’s wake. She gathered her things and backtracked into the depths of the shrine and put them away, taking up her rake to clear all the leaves at the front of the shrine. Phobos and Deimos flew down from the large tree that stood to the side of the shrine and landed next to her.

“Hello, Deimos, Phobos,” Raye greeted them, crouching down at their sides, petting the side of Phobos’ neck with the back of her fingers. They cawed at her, Phobos nudging into her hand. “You guys never fail to make me smile.”

They both cawed at her again, Deimos walked closer to her, nibbling on her fingers at her right hand. Raye looked down.

“Yeah, the sling is no more,” she grinned. “It makes me life a little easier, I admit.”

She glanced up in the direction of the entrance to the shrine and subconsciously sighed. Phobos stared at her with those intelligent eyes that she was so familiar with. Deimos nibbled her fingers gently again.

“What do I do about him?” she wondered aloud.

At that moment, the aforementioned Chad strolled out of the shrine and made his way to the stall at the front of the temple where they sold talismans, charms, amulets, and a variety of other trinkets. She watched him reach over the counter, stretching for something and she stood, approaching him.

“Chad,” she said shortly.

He stood up straight and turned to look at her with a deadpan expression on his face. He folded his arms silently and looked at her with his eyebrows slightly raised.

“So, have you just gone mute now?” she frowned.

Ignoring her, he asked, “what do you want, Raye?”

“Why have you been avoiding me for days?” she demanded.

“I’ve been doing my job, Raye,” he replied, “helping Grandpa, like I usually do.”

“Don’t you want to talk about it?” she asked impatiently, her hand on her hip.

“What is there to talk about, Raye?” he challenged, raising an eyebrow, pressing his lips together.

“Whatever your problem is,” she countered.

“I don’t have a problem,” he shrugged.

“Really? So, going for coffee with another guy didn’t set you off?” she retorted.

“It irked me,” he answered. “I care for you, Raye. I cared for you and you just tossed me aside… in favour of some guy with some bruising that captured your attention. After you returned from the hospital, I worried for you. I tried to get you to slow down, let me help you and you just didn’t see me, Raye. Do you know how that feels, to be tossed aside without a thought?”

Raye stared at him, her face devoid of expression. She thought about her life before meeting her fellow sailor scouts and the loneliness she felt, the isolation she experienced, all because she was different, and no one understood her. Yes, she knew how it felt to be tossed aside. She recalled her father’s secretary who married in a political move, as encouraged by her father and how she’d been tossed aside in favour of that. She felt that he understood her views on marriage, relationships, and love. His betrayal still burned her because she knew she was the only option for him. Then there was her father and that was another story. She considered Chad.

“Yes, I know how that feels,” she replied flatly, turning away, and taking up her rake again to continue gathering the leaves into piles.

Chad watched her tidy up from across the court and pressed his lips together. The pain in her eyes hadn’t gone by unnoticed by him.

***

Lita swore under her breath as Sailor V was killed in the game by a youma. Immediately, she started up a new game and began to work her way through each level. She barely took note of the whir of noise coming from the other game machines around her and the fellow gamers with friends who were playing them. Subconsciously, her tongue was sticking out as she concentrated hard as she advanced through the game, then she reached the level where her character died. She felt her hand cramping as she moved the console to control her character.

“Oh, damn it!” she cried, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration as she watched the words ‘GAME OVER’ flash up on her screen.

She heard a hearty chuckle from behind her and she turned her head to the sight of a tall figure with thick, wavy maroon hair hanging loose around the broad shoulders that was instantly familiar to her. Around the dark blue eyes, she spied the telling crinkles that indicated amusement and a deep smile.

“Neal?” she gasped. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to witness your failure,” he grinned, taking up a seat next to her. “You been here since school ended?”

Lita’s eyes flickered to the clock on the wall to see that it was already 4:30pm. She hadn’t noticed the time fly by since she swung by here for some stress relief.

“I certainly have,” she nodded. She glanced at the game machine. “It didn’t quite go to plan.”

“I don’t know,” he replied seriously. “I think you were really motoring there.”

She frowned at him, noting the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t do such a thing,” he smirked.

“So…” she hesitated, “what’s up?”

“I was passing by and saw you,” he answered honestly. “How’s Mina?”

“She’s doing well,” she smiled. “She had me doing yoga on Tuesday.”

“I would look ridiculous doing that,” he laughed.

“And you think I look anymore elegant?”

“On the contrary!” he argued. “I believe you once told me that you’re quite the dancer on the ice.”

“That’s different!” she protested. “In yoga, you have to have this sense of awareness and control.”

“And you don’t on the ice?” he poked her playfully.

“It’s not that,” she shook her head. “On the ice, I don’t have to hold myself in a single position and breathe through the pose. I can just let myself go. It’s really freeing.”

Neal smiled at her, the light of the arcade dancing in his eyes.

“I want to ask you out,” he announced.

Lita blinked at him in surprise.

“Seriously?” she checked.

“Seriously,” he repeated.

She looked at him, and a moment passed.

“So…”

“Will you go out with me?” he asked, amusement crossing his face.

She considered him for a moment. This was the first time he had asked her out on a date. She wasn’t sure what to make of him if she was really honest with herself. He was good fun after they got past their initial meeting, but she wasn’t sure if he really made her heart flutter. He irked her so much on the first day they met, and she wasn’t positive that she’d got past that yet. She got to her feet.

“I’ll think about it,” she replied with a small smile, leaving him staring after her in her wake.

***

Amy walked out of the changing rooms and entered the swimming pool by jumping in with a splash in the deep end. She dived down to the bottom of the pool and then swam back up to the surface, flicking her hair back from her face. She exhaled in great satisfaction at feeling the chlorinated water fill up her senses. The chlorine invaded her nostrils, overwhelming her sense of smell with the clean, chemical smell that she missed when she wasn’t able to visit the pool. Her skin sang with the feeling of the water lapping at the contours of her body, the water running over her effortlessly.

“Hey, Amy!”

She turned around to see Zane strolling over to the pool’s edge, beads of water on his skin as evidence of his pre-swim shower. He dived into the pool, cutting through the water expertly and he swam under water towards her, coming to the surface at her side. He ran his fingers over his face and back over his hair, grinning at her.

“Hi,” she greeted him, treading water.

“Been here long?” he asked.

“I just got in actually,” she smiled.

“Can I steal half an hour of your time?”

“I’ve got an hour,” she offered. “What do you need?”

“Well, we have a swim meet tomorrow, as you know,” he reminded her. “Would you mind training with me?”

“I’m not competing,” she mused.

“No, you’re just my special guest,” he winked. “Want to be my special coach for an hour?”

Amy felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach, which she knew had nothing to do with the thrill of being in the pool.

“Sure,” she answered breathlessly. She looked across the pool at the empty swimming lane. “Let’s head over there while no one’s about.”

“I’ll take your lead, Ames,” he nodded, diving under the water, following her under the lane divide and into the empty lane.

They both gasped for air upon breaking the water’s surface, facing each other. Amy turned away when she felt the blush rising in her cheeks. She paddled over to the pool’s edge and jumped out so that she sat on the side, her legs dangling in the water.

“So, I’m going to suggest 200 meters freestyle to start with,” she told him. “Just warm up. I won’t time you. Then you’ll rest.”

“Want to join me on the warm-up then?” he asked.

She considered him for a moment and shifted forward so that she fell back into the pool. She stood on her feet as they were in the shallow end of the pool and she looked at him with her lips pressed together as she nodded. She kicked off from the wall, her arms slicing through the water as she kicked hard to propel herself forward. She was acutely aware of Zane on her tail and she reached the end of the pool, pushing her hips up and over as she turned and kicked against the wall, sending her back down the lane. They did this another three times and reached the shallow end for the last time. She breathed heavily as Zane appeared at her side.

“You must be part dolphin,” he commented.

“You’re not the first to tell me this,” she smiled.

“You’re mesmerising to watch while you swim,” he revealed. “You should compete. You glide through the water like no one I’ve ever met.”

“I don’t know about that,” she replied bashfully.

“Look, just think about it, alright?” he asked. She bit her lip. “After the swim meet, let me know. You’re a natural.”

“You have no idea,” she said wryly. Before he could reply, she nodded her head in the direction of the length of the lane. “Enough. 800 meters freestyle, 30 seconds rest between each 100 meters. I’ll time you to see how you’re faring. Then you’re doing 100 meters freestyle and another 100 backstroke. 15 seconds rest between each 25 meters and then a 100 meters easy swim in a style of your choice.”

“Sounds good to me, biscuit,” he twinkled at her.

“Go,” she urged, rolling her eyes, trying her best to ignore the butterflies flying free in her stomach. She pushed his shoulder, making a point as she eyed the swimmers clock at the deep end. He dived into the water and she exhaled steadily.

It seemed he set her aflame in a way that the water couldn’t extinguish.

***

Serena ran out of school, narrowly avoiding a group of pedestrians walking along the street. All she knew was that she wasn’t just hungry. She was starving. Her stomach was grumbling, and it was screaming out for her to get food pronto. She was supposed to meet Raye after school, but she ended up with detention because she was caught sneaking food from her lunchbox as she skipped breakfast this morning as she was running late to school. She had already sent Raye a quick message over their sailor communicators to tell her she’d see her in an hour and a half as she had to get food. Raye simply replied with a short but sweet ‘okay’, which spoke volumes that Raye expected her tardiness.

Serena careered around the corner and crashed hard into a tall figure which sent her flying backwards, landing on the pavement with a thud.

“Ouch!” she cried out.

“Oh my God,” the figure exclaimed. “Are you okay?” There was a pause. “Serena?”

Serena looked up, squinting slightly in the sunlight, and realised that Darien was peering down at her. He offered his hand to her which she accepted. He pulled her to her feet, and she brushed herself off.

“I’m so sorry, Darien,” she apologised. “I didn’t see you.”

“Yeah, I gathered that,” he replied with a small smile, rubbing his arm. “Are you alright?”

Serena looked down at herself.

“I think I’ll live,” she mumbled.

Darien’s eyes flickered to his hand where he saw some blood on the palm of his hand. He frowned at her.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he checked. He gestured to his hand. “You’re bleeding.”

Serena glanced at her hands and shrugged it off.

“It’s nothing I haven’t done before,” she laughed, shaking her right hand in an attempt to shake out the numbing sensation that was tingling underneath the surface pain.

“You’ll need some ice before your hand balloons up,” he told her. You hit me with some force. What are you late for?”

“Raye, technically,” Serena answered. “I was supposed to meet her after school, but I got detention. I’m grabbing food before I go up to the temple.”

“Well, in that case, would you like to come with me?” he invited. “I need to grab food and I guess it’d be good to go somewhere besides the Fruits Parlor Crown.”

Serena gaped at him and a faint frown appeared between his eyebrows as he watched her. She mentally shook herself and smiled.

“I’d love to,” she accepted.

He led her to a café around the corner which was French chic. Serena flicked her eyes around it, appreciating the sweet ambience and she smiled at Darien.

“I’ve never been here before,” she told him. “I don’t think I’ve ever noticed it before now.”

“A lot of people pass it by,” Darien responded, raising two fingers at a waiter who led them to a table for two. “Thank you.” They sat down and the waiter handed them both a menu each. “Can you give us a minute, please to decide? And can you bring me an ice pack and a plaster for the lady? She had a fall on the pavement.” The waiter nodded with a promise to be right back. Serena smiled at the waiter as he left them to it. “I stumbled across it when I wanted a quiet place to study. Sometimes the Crown isn’t the best place for that.”

“That’s certainly true,” Serena giggled. Her eyes wandered past Darien’s shoulder and out over the rest of the café and her mouth dropped in surprise. “Oh my God. That’s _Mina_!”

Darien turned around and spotted the familiar blonde, then his eyebrows raised when he noticed who was with her: Killian.

“It seems someone has a date,” he noted.

A wide smile spread across Serena’s face.

“I’m happy for her,” she declared. “Mina usually dates and ditches, so it’s exciting that she’s giving him another go.”

“I know Killian from my physic class,” Darien told her. “He’s a good guy.”

Serena smiled at Darien’s approval and ran her eyes over the menu.

“So, do you want to study over the weekend?” Darien asked, his eyes still boring into the menu as he chose from his options.

Serena looked at him from over the top of her menu.

“Sure,” she replied. “That would be great.”

He peered at her face, his midnight blue eyes fixed on her.

“Wow,” he commented. “You surprise me, Meatball Head. You didn’t even cringe.”

“I would have thought that would earn me the chance to relinquish that title,” she said drily.

“When you get an A+,” he teased her.


	21. Chapter 21

Serena grabbed another handful of cookies and gobbled them down in a few short chews. Then she immediately reached for more, much to Lita’s delight. Raye pulled a face at the crumbs shooting everywhere and she shifted herself over to avoid the spray, folding her legs underneath her carefully. Lita placed down a tray of lemonade in the middle of the table and the girls all reached for a cool glass each.

“Phew, it is so hot today!” Mina commented, gulping down throatfuls of lemonade.

“You have that right,” Raye agreed, a book in hand to fan herself with, her long tresses of raven hair in her other hand, holding it away from her neck. The light occasionally touched her hair, catching the violet sheen that was ever present down the length of her back. “It’s not even midday! Thank goodness we have the morning off school.”

“Why is that again?” Serena asked, taking a swig from her glass.

“Study periods,” Amy replied. “They hoped it would be a good chance for everyone to catch up on homework and prepare for upcoming tests.”

Serena pulled a face.

“Don’t say the t-word,” she moaned. “I’m studying French with Darien later for the oral exam I’ve got on Monday.”

“Why does your whining sound less like whining when Darien is involved?” Raye smirked.

Serena narrowed her eyes at her, turning her attention to Mina.

“You’re looking so much better, V,” she smiled.

“I’m feeling it, too,” Mina admitted. “It’s nice to be able to move around properly. I have the maths test later after school.” She chugged down more of her drink, then slammed her palms down on the table. “_After school_!” she stressed. “I swear they’re punishing me for being too unwell to be present for the test when it happened.”

“I don’t think they had any time for you to take the test during normal school hours,” Amy reasoned. “Don’t see it as a punishment. This is a good thing.”

“How is a test a good thing?” Mina asked, then immediately backtracked. “Wait, what am I talking about? Look who I’m talking to?”

Amy chuckled.

“You’re looking better, Raye.”

“Thanks, Amy,” Raye replied. The swelling and bruising was all but gone, the only evidence of the attack being a thin line down her cheek where the injury hadn’t quite healed completely. “I’m feeling less like Frankenstein now.”

“And you didn’t before?” Serena teased, ducking as Raye launched a pillow at her head.

Amy nudged Mina in the side gently, causing the blonde to recoil from the ticklish touch.

“You’re supposed to be studying,” she reminded her.

“Well, what I’m supposed to do and what I do do are two very different things,” Mina laughed.

“I’ll say,” Amy, Lita and Raye chimed in unison.

The girls all burst out into fits of laughter. Amy composed herself and tried again.

“Why not just try a few questions?” she suggested. “After all, this is our study period.”

“But I’ll be trying a few questions later,” Mina protested.

“No, you’ll be answering them,” Amy corrected.

Serena leaned over to Lita.

“It’s like watching a bad sit-com,” she giggled.

Lita cleared her throat, taking up a cookie.

“Well, while Mina is procrastinating and none of us are particularly feeling like studying,” Amy coughed meaningfully and Lita amended, “except Amy, then I want to propose a topic of conversation.” She paused as she noted the invitation written across the girls’ faces. “Has anyone noticed that it’s been a few days since there’s been any attacks?”

A silence fell over the room as they each contemplated the quietness they’d received following the attack on Sailor Jupiter, Venus and Killian and Neal. It was a welcome quiet and one they realised they shouldn’t have taken for granted because the question remained: why? Was the creature licking its wounds? Or was there something else they hadn’t considered?

“There’s one thing I’m wondering,” Raye piped up, “what is the connection between all the victims?”

“You mean like us?” Mina mumbled, swiping a cookie from under Serena’s nose.

“I’m not sure we were the object of the attack,” Raye mused. “It’s just strange because there’s not a particular group being targeted. They seem… random.”

“Not completely true,” Amy disagreed. “Before the four guys, they were all people we have saved before as sailor soldiers. That’s what I thought was so odd when Zane was first attacked. I don’t remember us ever saving them.”

“Do you honestly remember everyone you’ve ever saved though, Amy?” Serena wondered. “I can’t say I do. Think about it: we’ve saved everyone in some way, even indirectly. Maybe it’s something else.” She turned to Raye. “Are you doing a fire reading sometime soon?”

Raye nodded.

“This evening,” she confirmed. “Chad is helping Grandpa, so they’ll be out of the way.”

“Can you do me a favour?” Serena hedged. Raye frowned questioningly. “Can you do a reading on me?”

“Whatever for?”

“What happened during our training session…” she trailed off helplessly.

“Serena, it’s okay,” Mina assured her. “Look, we all gain new abilities. Maybe this is yours.”

“You were so sure it was pure moonlight,” Serena accused. “Why would I have this now?”

Mina shrugged.

“Only Queen Serenity would know that,” she replied.

“Yes, she wouldn’t, wouldn’t she?” Serena murmured.

“Serena,” Lita said sternly, “you cannot be thinking of using the silver crystal to talk to Queen Serenity.”

“It’s my connection to her,” Serena defended herself. “It won’t harm me.”

The girls exchanged glances but realised they couldn’t say anything to dissuade her from it.

***

The smell of chlorine was strong in the air, the damp invading everyone’s nasal passages as they watched the swimming races from the side-lines. Amy felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she watched Zane at the poolside, waiting for his turn to dive into the pool as the anchor in the relay race. He had earphones in, and he was completely lost in his music. He’d told her that it was his way to prepare for a race, to cope with the pressure, anxiety, and excitement. Amy stared at him, ignoring the noise from the crowd cheering their encouragements at the swimmers and she observed his relaxed stance as he bobbed to the music in his ears. Then his coach nudged him, and he slipped off his nylon swimming team’s robe from his shoulders, exposing his trim waist, strong shoulders, and the abs down his toned stomach. She gulped, sitting on the edge of her seat as she watched him step forward and up onto the platform, bending his knees, letting his arms hang in front of him as he prepared for the slowest swimmer to make the pass. Then his teammate reached the wall and he dived in.

Without thinking about it, she was now on her feet, cheering hard for Zane to swim harder. As the fastest swimmer on the team, he was in the perfect position as anchor during the relay. She was suddenly thankful for their training yesterday as he was swimming freestyle and he wasn’t allowed to swim the strokes that have already been used by the previous three swimmers. The water flew in every which way direction as he propelled himself forward, surpassing the team that was taking the lead before he joined the race. She cheered harder, knowing he was about to win. Another five seconds, and his hand reached out, touching the pool’s wall. His head shot out of the water with a broad grin on his face, as he slapped his hand on the pool’s edge in victory. The rest of his team erupted into cheers of their own, grabbing each other’s hands and pulling themselves into a brief hug in celebration. The coach leaped forwards and offered his hand to Zane, pulling him out of the pool, throwing his arms around him, totally oblivious to the water on Zane’s skin. Amy was grinning ear to ear, thrilled for him as she clapped for the team.

Time seemed to pass everyone by as the trophy was handed to the team, congratulations were exchanged, and the poolside was vacated as everyone filed out. Amy made her way to the changing rooms where Zane was going to meet her. She was shocked to find Zane already stood outside, still wet, a towel around his waist, grinning at her.

“Why aren’t you changed?” she exclaimed in shock. “I was just coming to congratulate you on your win.”

“I’m not changed because we have a surprise,” he told her.

“We?” she echoed, her eyebrows raised quizzically.

“We,” he smirked, taking her hand, and dragging her through into the changing rooms.

“I can’t be in here,” she hissed. “This is the boys’ changing room!”

“You only can’t be in here if you aren’t invited,” he countered. “Coach agreed to this.”

“Agreed to what?” she urged.

“Joining the team for a swim.”

Amy’s eyes left Zane’s figure striding ahead of her, pulling her along with him and she spotted the third swimmer in the relay stood at the front of the team, who were all sat on the benches, the coach out of sight. She looked at Zane uncertainly.

“I told the team about you,” he admitted. “I want you to join us all in a race.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because they are going to help me convince you to join your school’s swimming team,” Zane stated as a matter of fact.

“And this is how you’re going to do it?”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Amy looked round at them all a little incredulously. She was amazed by the lengths Zane was going to, so that her school experience wasn’t one big exam. He was bringing her into a social space where there was camaraderie, a place to enjoy a sport that will fulfil her in ways studying can’t and a family outside of her usual friends. The very idea warmed her at her core.

“You have your swimming costume on you, right?” Zane challenged, raising an eyebrow at her.

She swallowed, rolling her eyes playfully. He knew she always had a swimming costume on her… just in case the need arose. She reached into her bag and pulled out her sapphire blue one piece and smiled tentatively.

“Okay,” she said, “I’m game. Let’s do this.”

***

“I gotta say, mate,” Neal remarked, “you’re looking better than you were.”

Jackson rolled his eyes with a grin.

“Damn,” he replied, “you know, I’m grateful to feel it. I’m getting my good looks back.”

Killian pulled a face at the pair of them in disgust.

“Please,” he complained. “We just ate.”

“If I knew you envied it so much, I’d have served me up on a plate for you,” Jackson laughed.

Neal sniggered at the horrified expression on Killian’s face. He shook his head in amusement and leaned back in his chair.

“So, remind me,” he wondered, “why did we give Zane’s swim meet a miss?”

“Because we’ve been to like a million of them,” Jackson exaggerated.

“Because he had plans with Amy,” Killian returned with a sensible answer. “He’s made it his mission to get her to join a swimming team.”

“Why?” Jackson frowned. “Seems a little overkill, don’t you think?”

“Well, I get it,” Neal admitted. “It was through sport that I met Lita.”

“And look how that started!”

Neal threw a snickers bar at him and watched in satisfaction when it bounced off Jackson’s forehead. He thew his hands in the air in victory.

“I don’t need another bruise,” Jackson grumbled, rubbing his head.

“Well, shut your trap then,” Neal retorted. “_Anyway_, Zane is just looking for an excuse to get closer to her. He’s normally pretty shy about this kind of thing.”

Jackson choked on his can of _Fanta_, spraying his drink across the table in front of him, catching Killian’s hair in the oncoming shower. Horror and revulsion crossed Killian’s features and he got to his feet in disgust.

“Jack!” he growled. “You idiot!”

He turned down the corridor and disappeared into his bathroom. Neal was biting his lip so hard, he was afraid that he was going to draw blood. Honestly, he was dying to burst out laughing at the look on Killian’s face. He looked at Jackson who was looking a little shamefaced.

“Oops,” Neal commented with a grin.

“Great,” Jackson groaned. “I’m going to be in the doghouse for weeks.”

“It’s a good thing that Zane wasn’t here when that happened,” Neal chortled, shaking his head. “He would have wet himself.”

“Ha! And you call him shy!” Jackson pointed at him.

“What?” Neal insisted. “He is! Or at least when it comes to girls.”

“That makes no sense. There’s not many guys who rock abs.”

“Do you want to date him?”

“Oh, shove off.”

Neal chuckled again, taking a sip of his drink right as Killian appeared with freshly dried hair and a new shirt, a towel in hand. Silently, he wiped up the _Fanta_ remains from the table, then disappeared again to get rid of the offending item. After another moment, Killian joined them at the table and turned his attentions to Jackson.

“Zane has always been reserved when it comes to someone he likes,” he input into the conversation. “It doesn’t happen often.”

Neal nodded in agreement then sighed. The guys frowned at him.

“Nothing,” he responded. “It’s just I was thinking… isn’t it weird that we’ve all been attacked by something that is a mystery to us?”

The two of them exchanged looks, pursing their lips in thought.

“I guess half of us got off better than the other two,” Killian said, nodding his head at Jackson.

“I’m just wondering…” Jackson trailed off.

“About apologising, I hope,” Killian interrupted, narrowing his eyes.

Jackson rolled his eyes and continued.

“Do either of you feel like there’s something about the sailor soldiers that is kind of… familiar?”

Neal and Killian gaped at him and Jackson nodded slowly.

“So, you feel it too?” he checked.

“Well, blow me,” Neal whistled. “I thought it was just me!”

“I wish I could say yes,” Killian raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know what it is. It’s almost like I know them somehow. Or I’ve been in their company before… only I haven’t.”

The guys agreed, the room falling silent as they each got lost in their own thoughts.

***

“Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?”

Darien’s eyes widened and his eyebrows rose so high that they disappeared into his hairline. He visibly paled before her eyes and she cocked her head to one side.

“Was that right?” she asked.

“Erm,” he hesitated, shuffling his notes in his hands, “you just asked if I wanted to sleep with you tonight.”

It was Serena’s turn to pale and her bright blue eyes to go so wide that Darien could have dived into them and swam the length of the vastest ocean.

“So, no,” she deduced in a small voice.

“You were supposed to ask if I wanted to go to the cinema with you tonight,” Darien reminded her. “While your French was flawless in its delivery, the translation was wrong.” He stared at her. “What exactly have you been watching?”

“Nothing!” she exclaimed, offended. “I guess I must have heard the phrase somewhere.”

Darien noted the blush still present in her cheeks and smiled to himself in amusement.

“Now you’re laughing at me?”

He shook his head, patting her hand resting on her notebook sympathetically.

“Look, not everyone is gifted at picking up languages like other people,” he acknowledged. “It just takes work, like your maths test. With hard work and effort, you retain the knowledge of the subject you’re doing.” He offered her a small smile. “Your French oral exam will be fine, Serena. Remember: the goal isn’t to come out with a 100%. We’ve proven already that you can pass an exam. Now we just want to push your limits and challenge you. You’ll see that you are capable of going further.”

Serena sighed sadly, looking down into her lap, tearing her eyes away from Darien’s hand on top of hers. His touch was setting her skin on fire. She felt his fingers squeeze her hand gently.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she replied, convincing nobody. She peered at his face and saw the disbelief there. “Alright. It’s just you’re being so nice to me.”

“And you’d prefer that I wasn’t,” he concluded.

“No, it’s not that,” she promised with a shake of her head. “It’s just you’re spending so much of your time helping me. I suppose I just wonder what you’re getting out of it. Why are you helping me? Surely, you have better things to do than take pity on a meatball head.”

Darien burst into a peel of laughter, pulling his hand away from hers so that he could run his fingers through his bangs. She glared at him, affronted.

“Serena, you’re being obtuse,” he teased. “You’re right that you’re a meatball head, but it’s not about what I get out of it. I excel at school and I don’t like to see others struggling when all they need is a little helping hand.” He took up his glass of water and observed her over the rim. “For the record, I’ve grown fond of your company.”

Her gaze met his stormy blue eyes and she found herself entranced by them. If she were to remember something forever, it would be these eyes. He felt the intense electricity between them and released her gaze, flicking his eyes back to his notes. She tore her eyes away from his handsome face, feeling a tingling sensation go up and down her spine. For the second time, she found herself looking at the blanket thrown haphazardly over the couch, the usually neatly placed cushions squashed and situated away from their usual places in the corners and centre. He followed her eyeline and understood why her eyes had found their way there again.

“I’m not the most excellent of sleepers,” he told her.

She turned to him, a smirk at her lips.

“So you don’t excel at everything?” she purred.

He blinked, swallowing, trying in vain to ignore the sudden flutter in his stomach.

“No,” he agreed quietly, “I don’t excel at everything.”

“So, why aren’t you sleeping?” she asked, though not wholly unexpected of her.

He looked at her uncertainly and after a moment’s hesitation, decided to answer carefully.

“I just have weird dreams,” he confessed. “The same thing every night.”

A frown pulled at Serena’s delicate eyebrows. This seemed far too familiar to her for comfort. After their reincarnation on Earth, and Serena’s first transformation into Sailor Moon, Darien had experienced prophetic dreams that led him to her. She was afraid that he was having to go through that same pain again. She could handle her own pain, so long as he wasn’t sharing it.

“What is it?” she breathed.

“I’ve no idea,” he admitted. “I just… feel like something has been trying to come to me for weeks and it’s keeping me awake.”

“Why don’t you try getting to sleep and just letting your brain do the work?”

He looked at her, shocked to find that all of her attention was on him. He felt stupid admitting that he wasn’t sleeping because he was having strange dreams that he forgot upon finding his way back to the land of the conscious, let alone that he was having crazy thoughts. He hadn’t expected that she would be so attentive.

“I don’t seem able to fall into a deep sleep,” he smiled.

“You fall deep enough to dream,” she pointed out.

“But light enough to forget them upon waking,” he countered.

She grinned.

“You know, when I can’t sleep,” she revealed, “I imagine myself in situations where I’m perfectly content and at peace.”

The image of being in Darien’s protective and warm embrace flashed through her mind. The idea of his lips brushing against hers made her heart flutter a little faster. The way his eyes would rest on her face, looking like he couldn’t believe that she was his. Lying in bed with him on top of the duvet covers, talking softly together into the night. Eventually he would pull a blanket up over her and his arms would wrap around her, his fingers brushing against her forehead so softly that it was but a whisper. She mentally shook herself before her mind was overwhelmed by the things she was missing in her life.

“Oh yeah?” Darien wondered. “So, what do you imagine?”

She felt her breath hitch in her throat when her eyes met his intense stare that looked at her with such interest that her dream felt more real.

“Sleeping,” she replied shortly.

He frowned, unsatisfied.

“You’ve got to be joking,” he complained. “Help me out here!”

“I offered you a way to drift off!” she argued.

“Sleeping, really?” he repeated. “I don’t believe that simple sleeping brings you so much peace that it will send you to dreamland.”

“Well, without our dreams, we won’t work through our issues of the day and go to a better world than the one we’re living in,” she replied.

“So, you suggest finding a better world,” he surmised.

“I don’t suggest it,” she clucked. “I highly recommend it. There’s no better feeling than losing yourself in a world that makes you warm.”

Darien found himself smiling fondly at Serena, unaware of the affection on his face.


	22. Chapter 22

Amy uncharacteristically bounded through the Fruits Parlor Crown, almost crashing into a waitress on her way through as she made a beeline for the girls. Her face was flushed, and her chest was rising and falling quickly with her rapid breathing. She sped to a stop in front of their table, slamming her hands down abruptly, making Serena jump, slopping her drink down the front of her shirt.

“Oh, Amy!” Serena protested, swiping Raye’s serviette, and patting herself down with it.

“What is up with you?” Lita asked in amusement.

Mina tapped Serena’s hip and the two blonde’s moved up in the booth to make room for Amy. The blunette sat down, immediately taking Lita’s drink and taking a throatful to quench her thirst. When she was done, she smiled at Lita in thanks then grinned at the group.

“Blimey, do you have wind?” Mina commented, earning a smack on the arm from Raye.

Mina laughed.

“No,” Amy replied, ignoring her. She glanced at them each in turn and couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I’ve joined the school swimming team!”

The girls cheered.

“Oh, that’s brilliant, Amy!” Lita congratulated her.

“You’ll be fantastic,” Raye agreed.

“Our own little dolphin,” Serena smiled.

“We actually have a chance of winning now!” Mina exclaimed. The girls gaped at her. “Did I say that out loud?” Mina visibly cringed.

The girls fell into a fit of giggles and turned their attentions back on Amy.

“Have you told Zane yet?” Raye asked.

“I texted him after I found out earlier,” Amy nodded. “I really wanted to tell you in person.”

“Aww, Ames,” Serena cooed.

“Don’t be so surprised,” Amy laughed.

“When do you start practice?” Lita wondered.

“Monday,” came Amy’s reply. “Truth be told, I’m a little nervous.”

“Go swimming with Zane at the weekend,” Serena suggested.

“What? Why?”

Serena shrugged.

“Whenever I do things with Darien that I’m unsure about, I always come out the other side feeling better.”

“Oh, please,” Raye groaned. “You’d jump out of a plane if he was holding your hand.”

Serena stuck her tongue out at the priestess and Raye responded in kind by sticking her own tongue out at the blonde. Lita pulled a face, already tired by their behaviour.

“You enjoy spending time with Zane, right?” Lita checked. When Amy nodded, she continued. “Well, he’s on a swimming team. He gets the adrenaline. He’ll be able to empathise and help you to use that nervous energy to kick butt in the pool. You get it during practice, too. I couldn’t tell you how nervous I was when I had my first basketball session.”

“If only you knew that you were going to come away with a bloody nose and a bumped head,” Serena smirked.

Lita narrowed her eyes at her.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Amy mused. “I’ll text him.”

“You’re getting quite close to this guy, aren’t you?” Mina twinkled.

“Ha! Hark at you, Miss Dating-Tall-White-and-Handsome!” Raye countered.

“Tall, white and handsome?” Mina snorted.

“Well, he’s not exactly dark, is he?” Raye snapped. “Anyway, you can hardly talk. Haven’t you been on a few dates with Killian now?”

“Alright, who spilled?” Mina accused the general group.

“I think the district is aware that you’re dating him.”

“That is so not true,” Mina defended herself. “It was just a few dates. We get on really well, that’s all. And he takes interest in me. I just feel comfortable around him for some reason.”

“Like you know him?”

Raye and Lita stared at each other, having spoken the words simultaneously. Serena glanced between the two of them and Amy sat up straighter. The tension at the table was almost palpable while the energy in the air crackled with the realisation that a similar feeling sat among them.

“Wait, you too?” Amy wondered.

“Am I missing something here?” Serena surmised, her eyes flicking between each of the girls.

“Apparently, each of us has been feeling the same thing towards each of the guys we’ve been hanging out with,” Raye murmured. “How long have you guys felt like that?”

“Since I met him,” the three of them chimed.

“You guys are really starting to creep me out,” Serena smiled. “What has exactly been going on?”

“Well, I’ve been dating Killian,” Mina explained.

“I’ve been hanging out with Zane at the pool… and sometimes out of the pool, but not that much,” Amy blushed.

“I’ve seen Jackson around the temple,” Raye piled on.

“And Neal’s expressed an interest in going on a date with me,” Lita finished.

Four heads turned to Lita.

“I thought you were dating Neal,” Serena stated.

“God no!” Lita denied. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Well, he made you that amazing picnic for starters.”

“It was an apology for giving me a nosebleed at practice,” Lita interrupted.

“And you went on a date with Mina and Killian.”

“That was a double date,” Lita objected. “That doesn’t count.”

“Girl, what’s the issue?” Mina demanded. “Don’t you like him? Usually you’re the first in the queue for love.”

“It’s not about love,” Lita mumbled. “I’m just not sure about dating when we’ve got this thing going on with the Croatoan.”

“I get that,” Raye empathised.

“Amy?” Mina questioned.

Amy shrugged.

“I don’t have an opinion on dating whether there is a monster or not,” she said. “Honestly, if it makes you happy, then by all means date. We exercise boundaries for a reason so that the planet is safe. But regardless of all that, even in the midst of a great threat, Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion found love. And it wasn’t quite the end of the world.”

“And what a love story that was,” Serena said drily.

Raye reached across the table and put her hand on top of Serena’s, squeezing it gently. Serena returned the small smile that Raye offered her.

“Anyway, you can’t stop doing things because of some monster,” Serena continued. “If you did that, we wouldn’t be living.”

“You’re right,” Lita sighed. “I’m just not sure how to be _that girl_. You know, the one who isn’t abandoned simply because I’m me.”

“If he’s the right person, he won’t leave,” Serena assured her, patting Lita’s arm.

“You’re a fierce Amazon, who juggles lightning,” Mina smiled, nudging her fondly, “you shouldn’t let your fear keep you from embracing things.”

“I don’t _juggle _lightning,” Lita giggled softly. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Anyway, back to my original question,” Mina backtracked, turning to Amy. “Zane. You guys seem pretty close.”

“I guess so,” Amy said shortly.

“Are you ever going to spill on what’s going on between you two?”

“Nope,” Amy responded, raising her eyebrows. Before Mina could respond, Amy shook her head. “Honestly, there’s nothing to tell. We’re just good friends who share an interest in swimming.”

“I bet there’s more going on under the surface than either of you realise,” Mina nodded with conviction.

Serena, Raye, and Lita glanced at each other in amusement. Mina would never change.

***

All it took was a flash of the long brunette ponytail and the scent of roses from that familiar perfume. Neal rounded the corner, past the tall stand of succulents that were in full bloom and caught sight of her. He strode over, exuding confidence and stood next to her, his looming shadow over her making her jump in fright. She turned her head, looking up at him, her emerald green eyes widening in surprise.

“Neal,” she faltered, “what are you doing here?”

“Hey, Lita,” he greeted her. “How are you?”

She put a potted lavender back down on the shelf and turned to face him directly. She interlaced her fingers in front of her and considered him.

“I’m okay,” she frowned. “I’m just looking for more plants for the garden and in my home.” She gestured to the array of flora on display around the garden centre. She cocked her head to one side. “Wait, were you looking for me?”

“Actually, yes,” he admitted.

“How did you know I would be here of all places?”

“Mina,” he answered.

“Of course,” she breathed. She peered up at him. “Did you… need something?”

“Actually, yes,” he said again, smirking. “I’m wondering if you’re doing anything later.”

“Probably dealing with the plants,” she replied, nodding her head to the plants sat at her feet.

“And after that?” he prodded.

“There’s nothing on the agenda,” she shrugged, grudgingly.

“Well, there is now,” he announced.

“Excuse me?”

“You’ll be coming out with me, of course.”

“Oh, will I?” she challenged, raising an eyebrow. “I already told you that I wasn’t going on a date with you.”

_If he’s the right person, he won’t leave._

“No, you told me that you’d think about it,” Neal corrected. “And this isn’t a date. It’s an invitation to hang out and no more. If there’s anything to decide, you can decide after we’ve been out.”

“Fine,” she conceded. “What did you have in mind?”

His dark blue eyes twinkled like the night sky.

“I figured it was time to get the ice princess back in her skates,” he declared.

“You want to go ice skating? Seriously?”

Her eyebrows had risen so high on her forehead that she was in danger of needing scaffolding to hold them up.

“I’m not sure if _I _want to go ice skating,” he confessed, “but I do want to see you dance on the ice.”

“Why?” she asked, amused.

“Let’s say you intrigue me,” he murmured under his breath for her ears only.

“Can you skate?” she wondered, her eyes flicking up and down his huge stature.

“Well, you’ll skate, I’ll fall,” he laughed.

“You just need a good lead,” she smiled.

She reached back over for the lavender pot that she had been considering before he appeared at her side and she brought the flowers up to nose and inhaled. She exhaled slowly with a soft smile and nodded to herself, putting the pot next to feet with the others. Neal observed her gentle interaction with the plants and found a wave of affection coming over him for her.

“Are you going to be able to carry all of those?” he asked, pointing at the various pots at her feet.

“I grabbed a lot of these from in here actually,” she said with a wave of her hand. “It’ll be fine.”

“O-kay,” he hedged. “But you need to get all of this from out of here, to the cashier then I presume home. How are you going to do that?”

“I was going to grab a trolley,” she quipped, folding her arms over her chest.

“Oh, really? Before or after you get to the cashier’s desk?” he teased, quirking an eyebrow at her.

She pouted.

“I’ll be right back,” he declared, doing a 180 turn, and disappeared from view.

She shook her head and turned back to the roses next to the pots of lavender and considered the colours and scents that she was interested in keeping in the garden. She pondered that a climber might be a good choice right as she heard the sound of whirring metal behind her and she turned to see Neal strolling along pushing a trolley. He grinned.

“Problem solved,” he said smugly, bending down and taking up her pots of flowers to put in the trolley. “You really should have thought this through.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t,” she huffed, watching him load up the cart.

“How are you going to get it all home?” he wondered. “The bus?”

“That was the plan,” she admitted.

“Well, that will be hell,” he replied. “I’ll take a taxi ride with you. It’ll save me the trip from here anyway, then I can go meet Jackson at the arcade. I’ll then meet you at our place and we’ll go from there.”

“Our place?” Lita questioned, with a frown between her eyebrows.

“You know where I mean, cherry lips,” he grinned, walking away with her trolley full of plants.

She gaped after him, then came to.

“Hey, I need that trolley!” she yelled after him.

***

“You have a great place, Darien,” Killian complimented him, sitting back on the sofa.

“Thanks,” Darien grinned, bringing over two tumblers of lemonade. “Sorry, it’s this or coffee and I’m all coffee’d out today.”

“I never figured you’d be a lemonade kind of guy,” Killian observed, thanking him as he took the drink offered to him.

“I’m not usually,” he admitted. “It’s actually for Serena.”

“Ah, the little blonde you’re tutoring, I presume,” Killian smirked.

“Hey, wipe that smug look off your face,” Darien chided.

“Alright,” Killian chuckled. “Seriously, what’s going on there?”

“Nothing,” Darien replied. He noticed the pointed look on Killian’s face and groaned. “I’m just tutoring her, that’s all. I guess we aren’t arguing like we used to.”

“Like cats and dogs, right?”

Darien grimaced.

“Something like that,” he agreed.

“But what’s going on between you?” Killian prompted further.

“What do you mean?”

Darien plonked himself down on the armchair facing Killian and waited for the answer, while Killian took a well-timed drink from his glass.

“What I mean is there anything going on there for you?”

Darien’s eyes widened.

“You mean if I feel anything for her?” Killian nodded. “No, of course not! Why would you ask me that?”

“Because it’s a little odd that one day you’re bickering with each other like you’re an old married couple then the next you’re helping her to succeed at school, despite your own busy schedule,” Killian explained.

“There’s nothing odd about helping someone out,” Darien grumbled, reaching for the bowl of crisps on the coffee table between them.

“Learn that in your medical classes, Dr Chiba?” Killian chortled to himself.

“Ha, ha,” Darien said drily, rolling his eyes. “I just… feel something when I see how upset she is when she fails. I don’t have difficulties academically, so I figured that I could help her. Over time, she’ll learn to use the brain she was given. It works perfectly fine. She just doesn’t know how to exercise it properly.”

“So, you do feel something for her,” Killian nodded.

“What?”

“You care,” he shrugged. “Darien, it’s okay, you know.”

“I know it’s okay,” he snapped, throwing a handful of crisps into his mouth. “Besides, what about you and Mina?”

“Oh, she’s great,” Killian grinned. “Seriously.”

“Okay,” Darien replied, taken aback. “I didn’t expect that response.”

“Well, there’s nothing to deny,” he shrugged. “I like her. I think she likes me. We have a spark and I’m excited to see where it goes.”

“Just how close are you two?”

“We’ve been on a few dates, but we haven’t kissed if that’s what you’re getting at,” Killian replied.

“Seriously? Not even on the cheek?” Darien gaped at him.

“Honestly, no,” Killian said, pressing his lips together. “I guess I’m not sure if I should.”

“If she likes you, then what’s holding you back?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “It just feels weird after that attack. Remember the one I told you about? Well, Mina was hurt, and it took some time for her to heal. I just feel like she’s been keeping something from me. It’s like I’m missing something.”

“Haven’t you tried asking her?”

“Who sits there accusing someone of keeping something from them?” Killian questioned. “Honestly, there certainly wouldn’t be another date if I did that.”

“So, you’re keeping quiet, despite your concerns that there’s a lack of honesty in the relationship, just to keep dating her?” Darien frowned. “That is probably the stupidest thing I’ve heard you say, ever.”

“No, it’s not like that!” Killian exclaimed. “It’s just a weird subject. It’s like she didn’t want to talk about the incident after it happened, so I just stopped trying.”

“Well, sometimes, people can be stubborn when they want to move on,” Darien suggested.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Killian shrugged. “So, what are you up to this weekend?”

Darien narrowed his eyes.

“Tutoring,” he said shortly.

“Ah, some sweet times with Serena,” Killian winked. “Must be serenity.”

“Oh, ha-di-ha!” Darien scoffed. “What about you?”

“Well, I’m not spending my sweet time with Serena,” Killian chuckled to himself. A pillow ricocheted off his head and he glared at Darien. “Alright! I wasn’t planning on doing much. I may pop in on Mina, but otherwise, I was going to write that paper for our physics class on Monday.”

“Yeah, I’m halfway done with it,” Darien replied. “I was going to finish it while Serena was over here on Sunday.”

“Sunday? Why Sunday? Seems an odd day to make a study date.”

Darien ignored the d-word.

“She suggested it,” he shrugged. “I presume she was with the girls tomorrow. They’re rarely apart. A little like you and the guys.”

“You should join us all sometime,” Killian invited.

“I might just take you up on that,” Darien smiled.

***

Raye sighed as she closed the door to the room that homed the sacred fire. Things were still uncomfortable and tense with Chad. He was still angry with her. She was unused to his hostile feelings toward her because he’d only ever been open and obvious in his affection for her. She didn’t know how to fix it, but equally, she was just as angry with him. She decided to put it out of her mind as she had more important things to tend to. Without thinking about it, she took the ribbon that Chad had given her and tied it round her long raven locks. She crouched in front of the fire that was flickering and dancing, creating eery shadows around the room. She settled herself on a cushion and sat back in a cross-legged seat as she knew this wasn’t going to be a quick meditation. She started her chants in very much the same way.

“Sun… Moon… Stars,” she murmured, the warmth of the fire licking at her face. “The forces of the universe are united together in the fight against evil.” She poised her fingers in front of her and started the Akuryo Taisan chant, channelling her energy into the flames. “Rin, Py­ō, Tō, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!”

She felt the heat of the fire licking at her cheeks, warming her eyelids as she let herself drift into the meditation. She let the images flood her mind as she concentrated, waiting patiently for the images to collate into a single vision. She opened her eyes to gaze into the bright flames, still flickering away, but the energy of her mediation only seemed to energise them more. A bright light that had nothing to do with the flames flashed across her keen violet eyes and she instantly recognised the warmth of the moon in that light. Serena. She saw those same delicate hands reach out in front of the petite figure that owned them, the light shooting out from the palms of her hands. She watched as the light collided with a tall creature, which Raye could only presume was the Croatoan, and waited to see if the creature would be destroyed. She gasped when it wasn’t. Instead, she watched the image of the Earth appear on the flames. As if she was standing on the moon itself, she watched the Earth be enveloped by the pure moonlight that had collided with the Croatoan creature. She recognised such power, but she didn’t know what it meant.

She chanted some more, focusing on the energy of the creature she had encountered personally. Her eyes shot open and she channelled her energy into the fire, willing the flames to tell her something, anything that could give her insight into the creature. The fire did as she asked, but it wasn’t comforting.

At first, she felt confused as she saw ice. Mercury? She pondered the possibility to herself. She saw a vast empty space of perfectly untouched ice. Then the images changed to show a figure performing a perfect pirouette on the ice, another tall figure to the side watching the performance. She frowned, honing her powers in on the image. She saw the figure of the Croatoan appear on the vast ice that was no longer untouched. It looked rough, used, and beaten. Lightning suddenly flashed across the flames, the Croatoan’s inhuman face flickering across the images Raye saw there, then the flame snuffed out. The only trace of there having been a fire was the strong smell of ash in the air.

_Oh my God. Lita!_


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter. I've been really sick this week so it's been a challenge to get this out there. I hope the turning point in this chapter is a good one!

Andrew jumped a mile in the air when Serena suddenly appeared behind him, slamming her hands on the countertop impatiently but with her usual bubble of enthusiasm to accompany it. He turned round to face her, holding his hand against his chest over where his heart was, his face a little startled. He raised his eyebrows.

“Let me guess, a chocolate milkshake pronto?” he guessed.

“Have I ever told you that you’re the best?” she asked him so sweetly that she could have given him diabetes.

“Only once or twice,” he replied. “I’ll be two minutes.”

He turned and disappeared down the short corridor to grab what he needed from the back room and Serena sat herself down on a stool, absently running her fingers over the countertop in swirly patterns. She sighed, thinking about tomorrow. She was studying with Darien again, but for once, it wasn’t the studying that made her sigh. When she was with him, it felt like the air around them sizzled with electricity and it was intense. It was hard to concentrate sometimes when his stormy eyes were looking at her.

“Penny for your thoughts?” a familiar voice teased in her ear from behind.

Speak of the devil.

Serena looked up to see Darien’s face gazing down at her. He took up occupancy on the stool next to her and turned to her.

“What’s with the sigh?” he asked.

“Oh,” she gasped, taken aback. “I didn’t think anyone heard that.”

“It was a pretty hefty sigh,” he needled.

“I guess I’m just thinking,” she shrugged.

“About?”

“You’re stubborn, aren’t you, Darien?” she raised an eyebrow.

“That’s never changed in all the years I’ve known him,” Andrew interrupted, placing the glass of milkshake down in front of her much to her delight.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “That was fast!”

“I’ve made so many milkshakes for you, that I’m fairly certain I could do it blindfolded,” Andrew grinned.

“Now that I will have to put to the test someday,” Darien smirked.

“Over my dead body,” Andrew retorted.

“Not up to the challenge?” Darien chuckled.

Serena looked between the two of them and rolled her eyes, taking a long drink of her favourite beverage. She sighed in contentment.

“Ah, now there’s a happier sigh!” Darien stated.

“Oh, it’s just the prospect of studying,” she lied.

“You’re not studying today, Meatball Head,” he pointed out, holding up his hands when she glared at him. “Besides, studying will be a breeze tomorrow.”

“Oh, so confident?” Andrew remarked.

“Of course,” Darien shot back. “We will be doing biology tomorrow and that subject’s a cinch.”

“I’m sure it is when you’re pursuing medicine,” Serena grumbled.

The guys looked at her in amusement then turned to each other.

“So, what are you up to this afternoon, Dare?” Andrew asked.

“I was hoping you could grab me a coffee?” Darien returned hopefully, grinning when Andrew turned round to make his brew. “Otherwise, nothing. There was just a paper I was going to start for chem class.”

Andrew pulled a face.

“You always make me feel like I’m miles behind!” he complained.

“I just get a head start,” Darien said, shaking his head. “Plus, little study sessions help.” He winked at Serena, who immediately turned back to drinking her milkshake as she felt the warmth rise in her cheeks.

Andrew handed over Darien’s coffee to him.

“Thanks,” Darien responded gratefully, knocking back a throatful.

“Whoa, steady on there,” Andrew laughed. “Are you not sleeping or something?”

Darien was acutely aware that Serena had gone rigid and he felt her attention on him.

“Well, you know me and my coffee,” he replied breezily. “What will you be up to then, Serena?”

“I was going to take a walk in the park while the sun is still out,” she answered.

Darien eyed her empty milkshake glass and beckoned Andrew.

“Would you mind grabbing a hot chocolate to go?” he requested. “With cream, chocolate shavings and marshmallows?”

“In need of a sugar high for that chem paper?” Andrew asked sceptically.

“Yep,” he simply replied.

Serena watched Andrew leave them to make the hot drink with a frown on her face and leaned over to Darien.

“Since when do you drink hot chocolate?”

“I don’t,” he answered.

“Then why…?”

“Ssh,” he hushed her quietly.

He continued to drink his coffee, while Serena returned to tracing the countertop with her fingers in intricate patterns. Minutes later, Andrew appeared with the requested hot chocolate, prompting Darien to get to his feet, pushing money into Andrew’s hands to pay for the drinks, telling him to keep the change.

“Come on then, Serena,” Darien invited her with a nudge.

“Where are we going?” she asked, surprised.

“The park, of course,” he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Andrew watched this exchange in bafflement. He gaped at the two of them, wondering yet again what was going on between his two friends.

“See you, Andrew,” Serena waved. “Thanks for the milkshake. It was yummy like always.”

“No problem, Serena,” Andrew replied faintly, watching them both leave the arcade.

“So, why are you joining me on a walk?” Serena asked Darien as they made their way down the street with their drinks in hand.

He looked down at her at his side and smiled.

“The sun tempted me,” he replied.

If he was honest with himself, it wasn’t the sun that tempted him. He recalled his conversation with Killian earlier in the day and felt that pang in his chest again. Then he was aware he was still holding the hot chocolate.

“Oh, here you go,” he offered her.

Her eyes widened at the delicious Serena-approved beverage and she pressed her lips together in surprise. She took it off his hands.

“Thank you, Darien,” she smiled. “That was kind of you. Though I’m not sure that a hot chocolate was needed on a walk in the sun.”

“I can take it back,” he said, reaching for it.

“Get lost,” she laughed, scurrying away from him, and crossing through the gates into the park.

He grinned and followed after her. With his long legs, he soon caught up to her and captured her wrist with his fingers. She inhaled sharply at his touch.

“Sorry,” he apologised, immediately dropping her arm.

“Oh, it’s f-fine,” she stuttered.

“Let’s go sit down,” he suggested, making his way to the coveted bench that overlooked the large lake in the middle of the park that was luckily empty.

She followed him and sat down, taking another sip from her takeout cup. He glanced at her and bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. She frowned at him.

“What is it?”

“You have a cream moustache,” he smirked.

“That’s your fault!” she complained. “You ordered cream on top!”

She ran the side of her hand across her lips and Darien couldn’t help himself. He burst out laughing. She groaned.

“You got it up your face, you scruff,” he told her, shifting closer to her, and using his thumb to swipe away the cream that went from the corner of her mouth and up her cheek.

Darien’s finger caught her lips and she felt the telling flutter of butterflies in her stomach. He cleared his throat and moved over so that they regained some space between them.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“No problem,” he replied gruffly, taking the last few gulps of his drink before throwing it in the bin next to the bench.

“Oh, I have something for you!” she announced, clicking her fingers, suddenly remembering what she’d slipped into her bag that morning.

She reached to the side of her and into her bag, pulling out a bottle. She handed it over to him. He frowned, accepting it, bringing it closer for inspection.

“Lavender oil?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “You told me that you weren’t sleeping. Well, years ago, I was having trouble sleeping and momma gave me a bottle. It sends me right off now. And even if it doesn’t send me to sleep, it helps me to relax.”

Darien felt incredibly touched by her thoughtfulness and it must have showed on his face as she offered him a warm smile.

“Thank you, Sere,” he murmured. “That’s incredibly kind of you.”

“No problem,” she returned. “To be honest, I have bottles of lavender spray for bedsheets in the bathroom and in my bedroom. It’s so helpful when you just know you’re not going to have the best night’s sleep. It’s great if it’s been a rubbish day.”

Darien peered at the bottle of lavender oil.

“So, what do you do with it? Just pipette the oil onto your pillows?”

“You can do, but I find it a pain if I get the oil in my hair and I’ve got school the next morning, so I tend to put it on my temples,” she told him.

“Doesn’t that just run everywhere?” he laugh.

“No, you ninny,” she giggled, taking the bottle from his hands. She opened it and took out a pipette full of oil. She gently squeezed it so that the oil dripped onto her index and middle fingers. She then quickly returned the pipette to the bottle and rubbed the oil over both sets of fingers and got up to stand in front of Darien. He looked at her questioningly. “Just keep still or I’ll probably get this in your eyes.”

Obligingly, he held still and watched her as she took her fingers up to his temples either side of his head and gently rubbed the oil into his skin. The strong yet subtle scent of lavender overtook his senses and he immediately knew what she meant when she said that lavender zenned her out. He was aware of only three things: the scent of the lavender oil, the soothing movements of her fingers rubbing into his temples that was taking away his stress and that she was touching him. It was like his skin was on fire. He was suddenly conscious that his eyes had been closed for a moment and he opened them to meet her cerulean blue eyes which seemed much closer than he expected. He felt the flutter of butterflies in his stomach and he licked his dry lips, pressing them together as he tried to find his voice.

“Thank you, Serena,” he said softly.

She let her hands fall to his shoulders, wiping her fingers on his shirt where the remaining oil would soak in. She knew any oil would come out in the wash, so she didn’t give it a second thought. It was then that she couldn’t help herself and threw her arms around his neck, the familiarity of his touch stoking the fire inside her that yearned for him.

He reciprocated without thinking about it, as if it were normal to hold her like this and felt himself melt into her petite frame. Her delicate, floral perfume – roses, he thought – invaded his nostrils and made him feel like he recognised it. He felt the silky strands of her long blonde tresses down her back against his hands and he couldn’t help but smile at the idea of her spaghetti hair to match the meatballs on top.

They pulled apart and she picked up the bottle she’d left on the bench and handed it over to him. He made to take the bottle but found that his fingers had clasped around her hand instead. Her eyes flicked down to her hand and back up to his face, then to see his lips descend to face. She inhaled and felt his lips catch the corner of her mouth, almost as if he intended to kiss her lips but then went for the safer option of her cheek instead. He sat back upright, uncurling his fingers from around her hand and took the bottle, saying nothing further about their physical closeness.

“Thank you, Serena,” he repeated.

“You’re welcome,” she breathed.

***

Jackson reached the top of the shrine staircase and released a lungful of air. It was always a relief to finally reach the top. He had no idea how Raye easily climbed it every day, several times a day. Maybe meditation really did exercise discipline, he mused to himself. Perhaps he should try it sometime. He looked around the courtyard and found it empty, even the sound of cawing crows wasn’t to be heard. He crossed the desolate space and approached the stand where the talismans and charms were sold, peering at the entrance to the temple. He then leaned over the stall to see if anyone was behind the stall and frowned when he realised no one was there.

“Raye?” he called, his eyes flicking around the shrine’s grounds.

After a moment of apparent silence, he heard feet shuffling towards him and he turned to find Chad exiting the temple, heading towards him. A deep frown was evident underneath Chad’s long bangs that hung over his eyes and Jackson found himself feeling apprehensive about the look in his dark eyes that glared at him.

“What do you want?” Chad asked rudely, folding his arms across his chest.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what this guy was here for: to see Raye. He wasn’t going to entertain such a relationship though. He was still steamed that when he was trying to get through all the chores on the inside of the temple, Raye had thrown him out of the room that homed the sacred fire. She was almost feral. He’d been on the receiving end of her temper before, but this seemed more demanding and serious than usual. He no longer had the patience for her moods. They weren’t really on good speaking terms yet after their fall out… over the guy stood in front of him now.

“Actually, I’m here to visit Raye,” Jackson replied, straightening himself to his full height at Chad’s standoffish attitude.

Standing at only five feet five, Chad didn’t really have the height advantage over Jackson, which only served to irritate him more. So he did the only thing he could.

“She’s not available right now,” he replied flatly. “You’ll have to come back another time.”

He only tagged on the last part to honour Grandpa. He didn’t want to spread the word that he was a jerk to visitors of Grandpa’s shrine.

“But she’s here?” Jackson insisted.

“It doesn’t matter if she is,” Chad frowned. “She’s busy.”

“Great,” he smiled. “She can have my help.”

“And what am I?” Chad asked sarcastically. “A broken broom? She has all the help she needs here. We certainly don’t need you.”

“Well, I doubt she needs your attitude either,” Jackson retorted, now annoyed with him.

“You need to le–”

“Chad!” Raye’s voice hollered from the temple’s entrance. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Greeting our latest visitor,” Chad replied through gritted teeth.

“I’m sure,” she replied tartly. “Go finish up inside. I’ll deal with this.”

“You just kicked me o–”

“Chad,” Raye sighed, her nostrils flaring. She watched him stalk past her and into the temple, then she turned to Jackson. “Sorry about him,” she excused. “He’s just angry with me.”

“Why?”

“Long story,” she said, waving the subject away with a flick of her hand. She peered at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Actually, I came to see you,” he admitted.

“Oh,” she uttered, momentarily taken aback. “To be honest, I was on my way out.”

He cocked his head to one side as he considered her harried demeanour and tense shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently.

“No, I’m not,” she answered honestly, realising she had no time to fob him off. “I need to find Lita, now.”

The determination in her violet eyes were the only thing that kept him from questioning further. He pressed his lips together. There was something about that look in her eyes that was so familiar to him.

“Lead the way,” he offered.

“What?”

“I’ll come with you,” he told her, his voice not leaving an invitation for argument.

She sighed.

“Fine, wait here,” she ordered, turning round to head back into the temple. “I need to change out of my robes,” she threw over her shoulder.

***

Lita was giddy with excitement as she laced up her skates at the side of the ice rink. She glanced at Neal to find him tying and untying his laces, as if he didn’t quite want to put them on. She rolled her eyes and finished lacing up, then getting to her face.

“Neal, what are you doing?” she demanded.

He glanced up at her awkwardly from his angle.

“I can’t get these tied tightly enough,” he complained.

She frowned, spotting the strain of the lace against the skate and she kneeled down on the floor in front of him, swotting his hands away. She tugged on the lace of the skate that was tied up.

“I’m not sure I could get scissors under here to cut them off,” she stated. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up with all the circulation being cut off in your feet.”

“But what if they fall off while we’re skating?” he insisted.

“Then I’ll fetch a wheelbarrow,” she teased.

“Very funny,” he said drily, flicking the end of her nose gently.

She rolled her eyes, immediately untying his skate.

“Hey, I think that one was just right!” he protested.

“Neal, you still need blood in your feet,” she laughed, quickly tying it back up. She then moved onto the second one, much to his protests. “There, you’re fine.”

“Thanks, mother,” he replied sarcastically.

“Hey, hey,” she chided, poking him in the ribs. “A little appreciation.”

“This was the best idea you’ve had,” she exclaimed with a grin.

“That it was,” he winked. “Come on then. Want to watch me fall?”

“I get to see that every time you’re with me,” she stated with her eyebrows raised innocently.

His mouth dropped open and she grinned. She whirled round, easily leaping onto the ice and expertly manoeuvred herself between the last few stragglers on the rink. They were here for the last half an hour of the public skating. What Lita didn’t know was that Neal had paid for them to have an hour on the ice rink after closing. After seeing how she glided across the ice as if she were the ice princess herself, he was glad he’d made that choice. He smiled and followed after her, tentatively taking a step on the ice, holding onto the side. He felt like his feet were firmly under him, so he kicked off and let himself drift across the ice with the momentum. What he wasn’t prepared for was the momentum will only keep you going for a short time and he promptly lost his balance and landed on the cold floor. He heard giggling from above him. He looked up to see Lita’s amused face smirking down at him.

“You weren’t kidding, were you?” she asked. “I really was going to see you fall.”

“Hey, I’m doing this for you,” he grumbled.

“Want my help?” she offered.

“Sure,” he groaned.

She reached out to him and he took her hand, immediately yanking her so that she fell into his lap. Her eyes remained wide a few moments after the shock had passed and she glared at him.

“That wasn’t funny,” she said flatly. “Do you want me to push you over?”

He kissed her cheek with a smirk. The surprise made her stomach do a somersault.

“You wouldn’t dare,” he chuckled.

He pushed her gently off his lap and got to his feet unsteadily, pulling her up with him. She was still staring at him, shocked by something else this time.

“So, are you going to show me any of your skating talent?” he twinkled at her.

This brought her back to the present and she blinked at him.

“Seriously? With all these people around?”

“I can’t wait half an hour!” he replied.

“But we’ll be leaving then,” she pouted.

“Wrong,” he corrected. “I paid them to allow us to have a private hour on the rink.”

“You didn’t?” she checked, her emerald green eyes brightening.

“I did,” he nodded.

“It’s confirmed,” she cried. “You are the best!”

She threw her arms around his neck, causing them to inch back on their skates a short distance and he laughed.

“Careful,” he warned. “Or we’ll both end up back on the ice.”

“I’ll do some skating, then I’ll teach you how to glide,” she grinned, pecking him quickly on the lips before she lost her nerve and sped off.

His lips tingled with her touch and he found himself staring after her. He couldn’t believe they’d gotten that close. Lita skated to the middle of the rink, held her hands up above her head, bent one leg so that her toes rested against the top of her foot and spun in a perfect pirouette on the spot. Neal was amazed that she didn’t appear in the faintest bit dizzy. She skated through some other less skilled skaters and then lifted one foot up behind her so that from her head to her toes was a perfectly straight line. She effortlessly spun on the spot, her foot behind her guiding her in the spin, then she gently brought her leg down and took off round the rink at high speed. She came to an empty spot and lifted one leg up in front of her, taking off into a spin, then she squatted on the one leg executing a sit spin. As she slowed down, she brought herself upright again and flashed a grin at Neal who found himself unable to take his eye off her performance. She made her way towards him from across the rink and spun her leg behind her, gaining momentum, as she brought her hands to her head as she twisted her body in the spin. She bent her outstretched leg, bringing her hand down to meet her skate and brought her foot up over her head from behind into a perfect layback spin with her foot caught in her hand to complete the spin. She skated the rest of the way to him, breathing heavily.

“Phew, just like riding a bike!” she joked, wiping her brow.

“I had no idea you could skate like _that_!” he breathed.

“You thought I was exaggerating?” she raised an eyebrow.

“No,” he shook his head. “I don’t think you exaggerated enough. I thought you meant you could skate, not that you could perform!”

“I wasn’t performing,” she objected. “It just makes me feel free.”

“Why would you take on basketball when you could do this?” he asked.

“The school doesn’t have a club in ice skating,” she shrugged. “Besides, it’s nice to have something that doesn’t involve an exam or competing with someone.”

She then grinned at him. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“What is that look for?”

“You’ve been stood here the whole time like a lump of clay,” she complained. “Come on, we need to get you moving.”

“But watching you is so much better,” he insisted.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” she commented, giving him a shove. “Move it. Or you may as well sit in the stands.” She spotted the look in his eyes that suggested he was considering it and she growled. “I hardly think so. Now I know you were willing to try this, we sure as hell are coming back.”

“Oh, we are?” he chortled.

“We are if no one else can join me,” she countered, sticking her tongue out at him. They heard the tannoy announce that the public session was now over, and she smirked at him. “You’ve no excuse now. You are going to skate.”

He felt his palms get sweaty, afraid he was going to make a royal idiot of himself but sucked it up and took the hand she offered.

“Stop looking like I’m taking you to your execution,” she scolded. “Now, follow my lead. It’s all in the footwork. You almost want your feet in the perfect V as you skate. You need to engage your core, keep yourself upright, unless you want to gain more momentum, in which case you’ll lean forward to help propel yourself.” She dropped his hand. “Watch me.” She pushed off and skated so that each foot moved forward so that they were going at a slight angle away from each other, giving her the area to work with. When she chose to came to a stop, she pushed her feet in and came to a standstill. “See?” she asked. “It’s all in the footwork. It’s okay if you fall. I didn’t exactly come out of the womb with a pair of skates on.”

Neal laughed out loud and followed after her, mimicking her movements. There were certainly a few hiccups along the way, and he fell twice but he found himself laughing about his shortcomings, rather than embarrassed or self-conscious that he was no Christopher Dean.

“You’re so much better at this than Serena,” she noted. “The first time she came on the ice, she cried the whole time. It was such a disaster.”

“I can assure you I cried myself out before we met at our spot,” he winked.

Lita felt herself blushed. She recalled how Neal appeared around the rose bush in Fairview Park with the same pink of the rose earrings she always wore, not at all surprised to find her there. It had somehow become their spot because that was where they had both connected and attempted to get themselves onto a friendlier footing. And there was always the potential for cherry pie. Neal found himself pleased that she instinctively knew where he was to pick her up.

“Well, I’m glad about that,” she laughed.

“So, what came of Serena and ice skating?” he asked.

“Oh, she got much better and found her footing,” she replied. “I found out later that she had been practicing with Dari…” she then corrected herself, “a friend from school privately and she found a talent on the ice. She’s still weary though. I’m not sure she enjoyed _her _time with her bum on the cold floor.”

“Ha, ha,” Neal scoffed.

In that moment, they both felt a shake under their feet and his dark blue eyes met her own wide emerald eyes and she knew this wasn’t a good thing. She glanced to the left to look to the middle of the ice rink and she immediately spotted a glow beneath the surface.

“What the…” she murmured.

“What is that?” he wondered.

Lita felt heat under her feet, and she did the only thing she could.

“Get down!” she yelled, throwing herself at Neal, causing them both to tumble to the floor as the ice suddenly broke in the middle, shards flying everywhere as a huge figure appeared in the centre. She looked up and she felt a cold sweat run down her spine when she recognised what the figure was: the Croatoan. “Oh no.”

She heard a groan beneath her and spotted blood dripping out of Neal’s ear.

“Shit,” she whispered.

She rolled off him and quickly tried to pull Neal to the side of the rink so that he could sit upright. She kept her eye on the Croatoan as it advanced on her, its soulless, dead stare with no eyes to see fixated on her. She saw the tentacles writhing and thrashing about from its middle and she looked at Neal who was now holding his head. Could she transform here?

“Oh!” she exclaimed, startled, as she leaped away from the Croatoan’s deadly saliva that was aimed at her.

She looked behind her at where she was previously stood and watched in horror as the acidic saliva burned away the ice there. A tentacle whipped out at her and she skated back but the Croatoan only advanced forward. She took off at high speed around the rink, catching its attention, leading it away from Neal. Its tentacles came out again and again. She looked down at her skates and had a great idea. She gained momentum and just as she heard the tentacles striking the air at her, she abruptly spun and kicked her leg out, slicing off a few tentacles in the process. She heard a screech of pain coming from the Croatoan, though it appeared the sound hadn’t come from its mouth as in the next moment, it was snapping its sharp teeth at her and aimed another saliva bomb at her. She had no choice.

“Jupiter crystal power!”

In a beam of green light, in her place stood Sailor Jupiter. Neal blinked once, then twice. He stared at the sailor soldier in front of him, wondering where Lita had gone. She had been there a second ago. He peered at her more carefully. Lita?

“Stay down!” she ordered when she looked back at him to see him staring at her. “Flower hurricane!”

Flower petals swirled around Sailor Jupiter as she twirled around, shooting her hands in front of her, blasting them at the enemy. The light that rebounded off the ice caught the petals, highlighting the sting ready to penetrate the enemy, immobilising it. She watched in satisfaction when she saw that the Croatoan could no longer move. She nodded and turned to Neal, landing on her knees in front of him.

“Are you alright?” she asked urgently.

“Yeah, I think so,” he grimaced, holding his head.

“We need to get you out of here and get your head checked out,” she told him, calm on the outside but ball of anxiety inside.

“Sure,” he complied.

He opened his eyes more fully and his gaze went over her shoulder. His eyes widened in horror as he glanced between the sailor soldier and silent figure approaching from behind.

“Lita!” he yelled, shifting himself quickly from his spot against the rink wall and slamming his body against hers, whipping them both out of the way in time as multiple shards flew past them and into the wall.

Precisely at that moment, Raye and Jackson appeared in the doorway of the ice rink and an overwhelming beam of light blinded them all momentarily. When the light faded, Jupiter looked up into the eyes of Nephrite and all she could do was gape at him. She didn’t see Neal anymore.

“Ju?” he whispered.

At the nickname, she flashbacked to the days of the Silver Millennium. Back then, none of the inner sailor guardians had a civilian name and the Shitennou found it astounding that they were ever only known as their home planet. So Nephrite decided to give her a nickname: Jules. It was a private affectionate joke between them. In time, when they got closer to each other, Ju was her name to him. It made her more than a sailor guardian. It made her his.

Raye looked at Jackson, but her expression didn’t change. It was some time ago that she saw his real face. However, it was the first time he was seeing hers and that’s when he knew she knew. They both looked at the Croatoan who came to a standstill, then disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.


	24. Chapter 24

Her voice was but an echo to him. He was aware that she was calling his name, but it didn’t register in his mind. It was as if he was a 100 light years away from her. It couldn’t be real.

“Darien. Darien!” her voice continued to prompt frantically.

Except it was real. His head felt like it was ready to split open with just one final gentle nudge. He was conscious of his hands gripping his head, but he didn’t have a spare hand to grip at his chest where his heart felt like it was on fire. Its quickened beat with every effort to pump the blood through his veins was beating loudly in his ears. It was deafening, but only just.

“Darien!” she cried. “What’s happening? Darien?”

He was acutely aware of a hot damp spill down his trouser leg and he couldn’t think how that came to be. But the heat from the liquid was nothing compared to the pain thrumming through his temple. Steadily, he felt the pain ebb away and his vision slowly came to him again. The first thing he saw was a coffee cup just to his side, a tiny remainder pooled inside the container on its side. Then he realised the dark, damp patch on his trousers was the result of spilled coffee that he must have dropped when he fell to his knees. However, he was taken aback that he hadn’t immediately become aware of the person kneeling at his side.

“Darien?” she asked again.

He looked up at Serena to see tears swimming in her eyes, her brow furrowed in worry and her cheeks flushed with stress. She had her hand resting on his shoulder and her other hand gripping one of his tightly. There was a pile of books in a pile next to her as if she had dropped them or thrown them away from her in a hurry. He felt her hand squeeze his fingers harder.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

Of course, they were in the library. After their lavender oil escapade, Darien suggested they head to the library to pick up some books that he needed for his chemistry paper and offered recommendations for books to help her with biology. She readily agreed, anything to get his heady scent and feel of his lips on her skin out of her head. Except suddenly, Darien was gripped by an overwhelming pain that he couldn’t pinpoint, and he lost all perception of self. They were deep in the stacks where no one else decided to venture at that moment so there was no one for Serena to call out to when she watched him fall to the ground.

“Serena,” he breathed, sitting up more fully, glancing around at the shelves upon shelves of books that surrounded them. “What happened?”

“I wish I knew,” she replied. “One minute we were talking and the next you suddenly fell to the floor like an eel, clutching your head and groaning in pain. I didn’t know what to do. There was no one around but equally, I didn’t want to leave you.”

“How long did this happen?” he winced, feeling the effects of a migraine.

“Minutes,” came the answer. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I think a migraine is coming on,” he admitted.

“Is your leg okay?” she pointed at the patch of spilled drink down his trousers.

“Honestly, I didn’t notice it,” he admitted. “I think I should go home for some rest.”

“I’ll come with you,” she announced immediately.

“No, Sere,” he objected. “I just need a lie down.”

“At least let me help you get home,” she insisted.

Darien said nothing and pulled himself to his feet, almost toppling over when the effects of being on his feet again made his head swim. He felt Serena’s hands on his arm, stopping him from meeting the ground again.

“Please,” she said firmly.

“What about all of the books?”

She cast her eyes over them dismissively.

“Not important,” she replied. “Come on.”

She led him out of the library, with Darien trying his best to not look so ghostly pale, her arm linked securely through his while he tried his best to avoid putting his weight on her small form. He thanked the heavens that his place was a five minute walk away from the library so that they didn’t have to go far. They didn’t say anything as they made their way to his apartment building and up the lift onto his floor. The stepped out and stopped in front of his door. In a daze, he brought his keys from out of the depths of his pocket and slid the key in the lock, allowing them to gain entrance. They crossed the threshold, slipping off their shoes and sat down on the sofa. It was then at that moment that Darien was acutely aware that Serena’s hand was clasping his own. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

Serena sighed audibly.

“Are you okay sat here?”

He raised his eyebrows, looking down at her.

“I’m fine, Meatball Head,” he assured her, a playful glint in his eyes.

It said it all that she didn’t argue the nickname.

“Fine isn’t the same as being okay,” she rebutted.

He peered at her more closely, noting the stress weighing on her shoulders and the worry in her eyes. His eyes flickered to her fingers interwoven in his, pressing his lips together when he really took notice of the grip she had on him. He was suddenly overcome by the sensation that his heart skipped a beat. It was almost painful but in a different way to what he’d felt in the library.

“I’ll lie down later,” he murmured, nudging her with his shoulder gently.

Her brows pushed together as her eyes stared into his midnight blue gaze. She missed his eyes. She was hyperaware of his touch against her skin, and as much as it pained her, she knew she had to let go. This isn’t the man she loved. He was buried somewhere underneath everything he forgot, the life he lived with her. Raye was the only other person who had heard particular words pass her lips that articulated exactly how it felt. She tried not to think about them. Every time Serena so much as looked at Darien, she felt like she lost him every time.

“Lie down now,” she suggested, her words sounding more like an instruction, as she stood to her feet and tugged him gently, her hand still grasping his. “You look wiped.”

“But devilishly handsome as always, of course,” he winked jokingly.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Don’t push it,” she warned, secretly agreeing that he absolutely is.

She pulled on his hand again and he relented, getting to his feet, and following her down the corridor to his bedroom. They paused at the door, unsure how to proceed and he felt the loss of her contact as she let go of his hand, nodding her head towards his bed as if she were silently telling him to get in there. He passed her and got up onto his bed, pushing his pillows up at an angle so that he wasn’t lying flat. He glanced at his door and frowned, seeing her standing there.

“Are you going to stand there or join me?” he asked, slightly taken aback by his final words that he hadn’t consciously thought of in his mind.

She blinked at him, shocked. She hoped this wasn’t going to hurt later. She inhaled and hesitantly stepped into his room. She reached his bed and climbed up, not quite allowing herself to relax or lie down next to him.

“Is this better than the sofa?” she breathed.

“Of course,” he smiled in response, the tiredness evident in his voice now, as he closed his eyes.

“So, I’m probably _not _such a meatball head, then,” she smirked.

She watched the smile spread across his face.

“Are you kidding?” he muttered. “You’ll always be my meatball head.”

She stared at him, feeling the flutter in her heart again. She watched his breathing slow as he fell into a slumber. She reached over him and into his pocket where she found the lavender oil she’d given him. She opened the bottle and squeezed the pipette gently to sprinkle some of the oil on his pillow, the scent of the lavender filling the room. She smiled at the smell, the memories coming back to her of her childhood. They were warm ones. That was when she noticed the small smile at the corner of Darien’s lips. It seemed her memories were comforting him, too.

She reached over him to place the bottle on his bedside table and that was the moment that Darien chose to turn over, his hand catching her arm. She dropped the bottle which bounced on the carpet and she found herself unable to shift herself without taking him out of his light slumber, as she knew he wasn’t completely asleep just yet. Instead, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, she nestled herself down on the mattress and rested her head on the pillow next to him. His arm draped over her side, his hand resting on her shoulder blade. She gazed at his face as the tiredness overcame him, and she knew she wouldn’t be caught taking him in like this. It was at this moment when the words she tried so hard to avoid in her head flickered through her brain, the memory of when she first said them to Raye springing to mind as the feeling overwhelmed her.

They say that it's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. Whoever wrote that clearly never experienced the love of their life forgetting their whole existence. It makes you want to be alone because you can't lose what you never had.

***

When they say that you could cut the tension with a knife, they neglect to say how big the knife is. If this were the wild west, there would have been tumbleweed blowing across the room between the girls and the guys. Raye and Lita were sat next to each other and across the room, Jackson and Neal were sat in a similar position. No one had said anything since they left the ice rink and came to the Cherry Hill Temple. It seemed that words had failed them all. Lita shot a look at Raye, but the raven haired priestess only pressed her lips together firmly.

“I feel like someone should say something before the atmosphere suffocates us all,” Lita broke the silence.

The guys looked at each other helplessly. What could they say? Jackson however tore his eyes from his good friend and stared at Raye.

“Alright, Lita,” he nodded. “Why doesn’t she start?”

He pointed at the silent priestess who refused to make eye contact with him. Lita blinked at her.

“Why Raye, Jackson?”

“She already knew who I was before we recovered our true memories… 30 minutes ago,” he stated flatly.

Neal sat up straighter, a frown getting deeper with every minute.

“Wait, what do you mean she knew before you recovered your memories?” Lita exclaimed.

“I saw it in her eyes,” he explained. “I don’t think I could ever forget the wisdom and intuition she has in those eyes of her when she has insight that others don’t.”

“What did you want me to do?” Raye exploded, making Lita jump. “Take you by the shoulders and shake you, telling you to remember that you were one of the Earth’s Shitennou? Oh, and that Killian’s new friend in physics just happens to be your amnesiac prince? Honestly, Jack, what did you want me to do? The girls couldn’t see any of you for who you were because none of them see what I can. As you know, it takes something to make it click. It’s more than planet power. It’s buried deep inside. Even I can’t undo that.”

“How did you know Jadeite was… Jackson?” Lita asked, her brow furrowing in confusion at the question.

Raye looked at Jackson and quickly tore her eyes away from him.

“His eyes,” she confessed. “The eyes are windows to the soul and as corny as that sounds… it’s true. I can see someone’s true heart. At the time, I was using pyromancy to see the future and my senses have been heightened.” She turned to Jackson who was fixated on her. “When I met you, I knew. You might remember how I greeted you.”

He looked back at the moment he laid eyes on the beautiful shrine maiden for the first time and smiled with a nod.

“You called me by my true name,” he said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you,” she breathed. She turned to Lita. “And I’m sorry I kept this from you, and the girls.”

“It’s just like Serena,” Lita shrugged. “It’s not your fault. It wouldn’t have changed anything. Think how long Serena has been with Darien and nothing’s changed.”

At this, the guys were sat rigid in their seats. The girls noticed and frowned.

“What is it?”

“Our prince,” they said simultaneously. “Would he have his memories back, too?”

A loud bang made them all start, and four heads shot towards the now open door to find Amy, Mina, Zane, and Killian stood there.

“Would anyone like to explain what the hell happened this evening?” Mina demanded.

“Zoicite? Kunzite?” Neal uttered in disbelief, really seeing his friends.

“Yep,” Zane nodded, striding across the room, and taking his hand in a shake and pulling him in for a brief hug before moving onto Jackson.

“It seems we recovered our memories,” Killian stated, crossing the door’s threshold, and plonking himself down on the sofa across from the girls.

“And the award for stating the obvious goes to…” Raye grumbled.

Mina sat down next to her and elbowed her in the side.

“So, what happened?” Amy asked, her eyes flicking between them all.

“We were attacked at the ice rink by the Croatoan,” Lita informed her. She saw out of the corner of her eyes the four guys lean forward with interest, opening their mouths to ask for more details on that new information. “We’ll explain that later.” She turned to Amy and Mina. “Basically, Neal saved me from an attack from the Croatoan. I think that’s what did it. He performed an act of selflessness… one that he would have done when he was Nephrite. And he just… knew me. Even as Sailor Jupiter.”

“What happened to the Croatoan?” Amy pressed.

“It disappeared,” Raye told her with a shrug. “I’m intrigued as to why.”

The cogs in Amy’s brain were practically whirring away as the lightbulb was starting to heat up and brighten.

“I think I might have a theory,” she smirked.

“This is why she’s the brains of the group,” Mina cried, clapping her hands together.

“Do you remember when I first discovered the name of the Croatoan through some old legends I found in my research?” Amy asked the girls directly. When they nodded, she continued, addressing the guys now. “Some time ago, more specifically in the days of the Silver Millennium, there were rumours of a demon that hunts what lies beneath, feeding on what humans hide in the deepest recesses of their souls: their secrets. Therefore, absolute honesty in the presence of this monster is key to their survival. If one dared to contain their secrets, legend states that the demon won’t allow their victim a final chance to process, or at the very least, scream. With a sharp burst, the monster will pierce their victim in the throat, forever trapping the secret within.” She shrugged, looking at the girls. “I said that there was an imbalance in the world, one that needed to be corrected. This is what the Croatoan’s existence is about.” She looked at the guys pointedly. “You were that imbalance. That’s why the Croatoan faded after you recovered your memories. The imbalance was solved with Neal’s act of selflessness.”

The smug look on Neal’s face could be seen from orbit.

“Well, that comes back to the original question,” Lita said slowly, rolling her index finger in the air as if to rewind. “Does Darien continue to be an amnesiac?”

“Well, technically, he was always an amnesiac,” Mina pointed out.

“Mina!” Raye hissed.

“It kind of took something exceptional to wake Darien up from his stupor,” Amy recalled.

“Yeah, but Serena _is _awake,” Mina reminded her. “What would it take now?” She gestured at the guys. “I mean, no offence, but Darien was always on another wavelength to his Shitennou.”

“You don’t think they’ll be connected?” Lita wondered.

Mina shook her head while Amy nodded.

“Of course, they’re connected,” Amy countered. “I don’t think their recovered memories will impact Darien’s ability to do so as well. He’s connected to the Earth in ways that no one else is, just like we are connected to our planets. If the world holds an imbalance, he’ll react to it.”

The room fell silent.

“What do we do then?” Neal asked.

“Live our lives,” Raye suggested.

“And how do we do that now?” Zane wondered, his eyes fixed on Amy.

The girls couldn’t bring themselves to answer. Even after experiencing for the second time waking up as their true selves, they had no advice to give. They grieved the lives gifted to them by Queen Serenity when it was tore from them when they were awakened to protect the planet once again, but they also rejoiced at being reunited. It was a double edged sword.

***

Late in the evening, the guys were sat in Killian’s living room, each with different thoughts swirling around in their brains but equally with one person on their minds.

“Who could have guessed this when we woke up this morning?” Jackson said tartly, rubbing his fingers against his temple.

“Well, I wouldn’t have placed bets on Neal expecting his date to go in the direction it did,” Zane laughed, swallowing a throatful of water.

“This isn’t funny,” Neal scowled. “This is a disaster.”

“A disaster? We’re ourselves again!”

“I agree with Neal,” Killian interrupted. “We can’t very well storm Darien’s apartment and demand to know if he remembers who he really is. If he continues to not remember his memories, then this presents a problem.”

“You’re right,” Zane conceded with a sigh.

“What can we do then?” Jackson asked.

“Actually, it turns out that _Killian_ is a helpful guy,” Killian smirked to himself. “I’d already invited Darien to hang out with us sometime and he agreed. So, already, we have an excuse to integrate him into our group. We can be there to protect him.”

“Protect him?” Zane cringed. “Honestly, if Prince Darien heard those words, he would probably give you a thundering headache after delivering a well-earned smack.”

“Well-earned?” Killian retorted. “We _are _his protectors, you dumbass.”

“It’s really not Darien’s style.”

“Well, tough because he’s the one who is currently at risk of being hunted by a demon we’ve never fought against before,” he said firmly.

“Speaking of which,” Jackson piped up, “how exactly are we to protect him when it’s been a while since we even exercised our abilities to be able to?”

“Jack, it’s like riding a bike,” Neal boomed, slapping him on the shoulder.

“Oh yeah?” Jackson challenged, raising an eyebrow. “I dare you to try bringing down lightning from the sky.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Neal agreed, getting to his feet.

“Not in here, you don’t!” Killian argued, launching the nearest pillow at Neal’s head. “We need to practice. I’m sure the girls needed to do exactly the same.”

“Yeah, but the girls are very different to us,” Jackson reasoned. “They were born into their planet power. We have access to our power through our prince.”

“It’ll take some practice,” Killian reassured them all. “Let’s not worry about it right now. We have a plan to keep him close. And I know that the real him is surfacing.”

“How’s that?” Neal inquired with interest.

“He’s feeling something for Serena. He’s confused by it though. Presumably, that’s the amnesia taking over.” Killian paused then laughed. “I teased him about it though.”

“You teased him for having amnesia?” Jackson blinked.

“No, you dunce,” Killian replied, rolling his eyes. “Teased him about Serena.”

“Oh, right.”

“Anyone else feel sorry for that girl?” Neal sighed.

The guys went silent as they considered the question. It didn’t really require an answer: of course, they did.

“They don’t seem to catch a break, do they?” Killian asked. It was a rhetoric question.

“Do we?” Zane pointed out.

“Fair enough.”

“How is this going to change our relationships with the girls?” Jackson wondered, his demeanour falling despondent.

“I guess that’s something we’ll find out,” Neal sighed again.

Silence reigned over them once more, but they found themselves exchanging looks, which eventually turned into fond smiles.

“It’s good to see you guys again,” Killian admitted. “Really see you this time.”

“Hear, hear!” the guys chorused back, which then set them off chuckling.

***

A few hours had passed by and Darien was fast asleep. It was late in the evening but not so late that Serena’s parents would be worrying where their daughter was. She’d accidentally fallen asleep next to Darien, his arm still draped over her. She considered his peaceful face as he slept, already seeing that he looked better for the rest after his episode in the library. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she allowed herself to pretend that he loved her, as he once did. She felt her communicator vibrate in her pocket and she reached down to pull it out to peer at the message that she knew she’d find there.

It was from Raye.

_Text your parents that you’re staying at mine tonight. I know you’re with Darien. Come over in an hour. You missed out on some mysteries surrounding the Croatoan. – R_

Serena’s eyes widened and she sent off a reply.

_Is everything okay? – Sere_

A reply immediately came back.

_Does Darien still not remember anything? – R_

_No, why? – Sere_

_Then everything isn’t okay. Don’t worry right now. We’re fine for now. Stay with Darien and come over later. We’re getting to the bottom of this mystery. – R_

_I’m worried, Raye. – Sere_

_Don’t be. You’re where you should be right now. I’ll catch up with you later. – R_

Serena sent off texts to her parents to let them know she’ll be sleeping at Raye’s then she pushed her communicator back into her pocket. She rested her eyes on Darien’s face and felt herself calm. Raye was right. Rushing off wouldn’t achieve anything and she trusted Raye with her life. If she told her all was fine for the moment, then it was. She was giving Serena the gift of time, being with Darien when his guard wasn’t up. She pondered the past couple of months and how lonely she’d felt, despite that she was surrounded by her closest friends. If her friends were the brain, Darien was the heart. Her friends kept her fighting, supported her to continue on through the most difficult times, kept her laughing and warm. But Darien made her feel alive throughout all of that. He helped her to see the world not as it is, but how it should be, even on days when the world crumbles.

She snuggled herself closer to Darien, feeling his arm tighten around her. She felt his breath on her skin, and she knew he was in a deep sleep. She did what she hadn’t dared to do while he was aware and awake. She raised her head, hesitated for a moment, and pressed her lips against his gently. She felt her heartbeat strongly for him while her lips were against his, but she also felt the yearning in her chest. She missed him so much.

The thing about being alone is that it can never last. At some point, we all need to reach out and find comfort. At first, to what we know: the people, the places, how everything used to be. But things change. And no matter what you do, it's never going to be the same. So the question becomes: where do you go? What do you do? Maybe it doesn't matter as long as you go somewhere.


	25. Chapter 25

Serena stared up at the ceiling, her eyes boring into the beams above. Her mind was racing with the details Raye had filled her in on from the past couple of hours. It all made sense now, why Darien collapsed, why he suffered from the migraines, why he was suddenly so drained of life. It was crazy: the Shitennou were officially back. But what did that mean? She turned her head to the side where Raye appeared to be fast asleep, the slightest movement of her covers moving up and down as she breathed gently. She sighed and turned onto her side. Sometimes it felt like Darien’s arm was still draped over her, pulling her in closely. She’d left his apartment quietly as he was sleeping deeply, and she noted that he was looking less pasty than he was in the library. She left a glass of water and two aspirin on his dresser, noted the colour returning in his cheeks and left. She was always thinking about Darien but on her way over to the temple, it felt like her heart was humming with the warm sensation he lent to her through his mere touch. She rolled over onto her other side and sighed, flicking her eyes up to Raye’s form in her bed.

“Raye?” she whispered. “Are you awake?”

There was a moment of silence then Raye stirred. The priestess turned over to face Serena, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“Well, I am now,” she grumbled. “What’s wrong?”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to ask _what’s right_?” Serena stressed.

Raye leaned on her arm with a frown.

“Sere, we can’t do anything about what’s happened,” she reminded her. “We’re getting there. The guys have their memories now. This _is _a good thing.”

“You don’t sound certain about that.”

Raye pursed her lips.

“It’s good for Darien,” she reassured her. “They will look out for him without him knowing that they are. This is a good thing.”

“Yeah, it is,” Serena responded faintly. She cocked her head to one side at Raye. “So, what about Jackson… or Jadeite? Wait, what are the guys going by now?”

“Their civilian names,” Raye answered. “And Jackson… I don’t know. Things are still kind of tense with Chad. I don’t want to talk about it. This whole situation just makes things complicated.”

“Isn’t that our lives?”

Raye made a mumbled noise of acknowledgment but commented no further. She could feel Serena’s gaze on her and sighed.

“Do you feel anything for Jadeite?” Serena asked, using Jackson’s true name. Raye’s violet eyes shot to Serena’s face, the horror obvious in her glare. “Well, do you?”

“Of course, I do,” she breathed.

Serena blinked, surprised that Raye didn’t dance around the answer and eventually not answer the question at all.

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

“I can’t do anything about it,” Raye said immediately. She pressed her lips together when she noted Serena’s blank expression. “Chad.”

“Yeah, that sucks but he’ll deal.”

Raye sat up in bed, her mouth open.

“That’s not like you to say something like that,” she noted. “That’s borderline mean, even for you.”

“I know, I know,” Serena shrugged. “But do you know how many times I’ve been torn apart from the love of my life?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued. “Too many!” She sighed. “Look, if Chad cares, and I mean _really _cares about you, he won’t stand in the way of your happiness. He may hate you, resent you for some time but sometimes the cliché is true… time will help him. And you aren’t at fault for any hurt he’s feeling.” She gave her a wry smile. “Our lives our complicated and he wasn’t a part of that.”

“I guess you’re right,” Raye conceded. She narrowed her eyes. “Since when did you ever sound so wise?”

“I was always wise,” Serena smiled, “no one ever saw it.”

Her smile died on her lips and she flicked her eyes down as she sat herself up. Raye shuffled over in her bed to make room.

“Meatball Head,” she invited, gesturing for her to join her when Serena looked at her.

Serena got up off of the floor, climbed up into Raye’s bed and they settled down under the covers. Raye patted her arm fondly.

“Don’t be sad, Sere,” she murmured. “You have all your friends round you now. The guys care for you just as we do. We’re just missing one person from our circle and we’ll get him back.”

“How?”

“You need to stop asking me that, because you know I’m not _that _good,” Raye nudged her with a smile. “Sadly, I wish I knew how, but we’ll find out.”

“I wish I knew when,” Serena sniffed. “It’s starting to feel like nothing is ever going to bring him back. Even when he’s close to me, he feels so far away. It isn’t _Darien_.”

“I know,” Raye whispered, squeezing her arm gently before closing her eyes to go to sleep.

***

Zane walked out onto the pool side and saw the unmistakable flash of blue hair under the surface of the water. He dropped his towel on the benches and stepped forward to the wall of the pool and knelt down so his hand rested on the tiles and he hopped into the water, briefly inhaling sharply when the cold water hit his skin. He watched as her slight figure glided towards him effortlessly, rolled forward and kicked off from the poolside next to him, quickly making her way back down the lane. He stretched his arms and turned side to side, rolling his neck, bringing his goggles down over his eyes and took off down the lane after her. He felt the instant sweet thrill go through him as the water rushed over his skin as his arms cut through the water and his feet kicked against it, pushing him forward. He started to gain on her and just as he lifted his head to take in some oxygen, he watched in frustration as she kicked against the wall and made her way back down to the other end again. He remembered swearing in a previous life that she was born a mermaid. Internally, he rolled his eyes and took off back down the lane, kicking harder and gaining on her. He was now side by side with her and he glanced her way, giving her a playful nudge with his fingers as his arm cut through the water. He saw her eyes widened when she looked at him and they both looked forward finding that they needed to come to a halt, or they’d crash into the wall. Simultaneously, their hands came up out of the water and slapped down onto the poolside. With heavy breathing, they pulled themselves up so that their arms rested on the poolside. Zane looked at her with a smirk.

“I’m gaining on you now,” he teased.

Amy looked at him, biting her lip.

“I… I didn’t know you were here,” she stammered.

“Well, a guy’s gotta train,” he shrugged. He paused and the atmosphere between them started to feel suffocating after a moment. He looked at her, hesitating. “So, how are you?”

“The usual,” she nodded, trying her best not to look at him in light of the new information that she was attracted to her guy all along and not because he’s Zane. “I guess we have a lot to figure out. Raye had Serena over at the temple last night and filled her in. I don’t really know how she took it. Darien is still… Darien.” She frowned.

“You do know you’re not alone, right?”

She looked at him, shaking her head slightly, the question in her eyes.

“You don’t have to figure out everything by yourself,” he told her. “You have all of us now. You may be the smartest person we know, but the burden doesn’t fall on you.” He hesitated. “You have me, if you’ll have me.”

“So, you guys have this cracked then?” she asked, her face deadpan. “If an attack happened, or Darien needed you, you could all just jump to his defence? Your memories are entirely intact, and you remember the histories we grew up with?” She watched his face carefully and raised her eyebrows with a slow nod of her head. “I thought not. You know, it took some time for us to remember everything about ourselves. It took a lot of training. We still train now, and new things come up that we have yet to understand. You guys aren’t ready.”

“So, let us join you,” he suggested.

“What?”

“Let us join you at your next training session,” he repeated.

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” he replied.

“Look, if you get injured during one of these battle simulations, you’ll be more than useless,” she told him.

“As humbling as this exchange is, just give in, Amy,” he said sternly with a sigh. “Like you said, it took training for you all to get to where you are. It’ll be the same for us, too. We already agreed that we need to train. You just gave me the idea of how we can do this in the best way.”

“Fine,” she conceded, shifting uncomfortably when she realised he was staring at her intently.

“Are we going to talk about it or just argue about how useless we are as reawakened guardians of the Earth?”

“I didn’t mean –”

“I know what you meant,” he interrupted.

Amy sighed.

“I don’t know how to talk about it, Zane,” she murmured.

He looked down at her with a small smile.

“It’s nice to see that nothing has changed there,” he laughed gently.

“I just… can’t,” she said apologetically.

“Well, think about it,” he asked, “please.”

She looked up into his cat-green eyes framed by his soft blonde eyebrows, pushed into a small frown. His long blonde hair tied back into his usual ponytail, beads of water sat on his big shoulders which for a brief moment she fantasised about his arms round her. Once upon a time, they had been. She flicked her eyes away.

“I feel so stupid that I didn’t realise that you were in front of me the whole time.”

“How would you have known?”

“Raye knew,” she pointed out.

“Raye’s different,” he countered. “You all have your own strengths.”

“And I should have figured it out,” she shrugged. “I suppose my strength has its weaknesses.”

“Don’t talk like that,” he frowned. Without thought, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He felt her stiffen and he shook his head. She hadn’t changed. “Just think about it. Please.”

“Alright,” he heard her answer.

***

“Fancy meeting you here,” Neal’s voice interrupted Lita’s reverie.

She turned to look up into his face that was framed by his mass of thick, wavy maroon hair that hung loose around his massive shoulders. She raised her eyebrows at him, gesturing for him to sit in the empty seat next to her.

“We agreed to meet here, you dodo,” she reminded him.

“Irrelevant,” he argued. “We’ve always been in orbit.”

She looked at him incredulously and saw the playful smirk at his lips and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re such an idiot,” she remarked, sitting back on the bench, looking out over the lake, glistening from the light of the sun bouncing off the water’s surface.

“That never seemed to put you off,” he observed, nudging her.

“Are you kidding?” she laughed. “When we met, I thought you were an ignoramus of the highest order and hated you on sight.”

“Hate is a strong word,” he said, insulted.

“Alright, I really didn’t like you,” she admitted, offering him a smile. “You were such a jerk when we met.”

“Granted,” he nodded. “I can’t say I ever ventured outside of my circle of friends.”

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “You have friends?”

“Lita!” he exclaimed.

“Come on,” she continued. “You gave me a concussion and a nosebleed. It wasn’t a recipe for friendship, was it?”

“How about something else?”

She glanced his way to see an innocent expression on his face and shook her head.

“Honestly, Neal,” she admonished him.

“Didn’t you ever wonder why I kept trying to get you to come out with me?”

“Because you were a major ignoramus?”

Neal gave her an unimpressed glare.

“You were so spunky, and you constantly surprised me,” he admitted. “That first basketball game and I knew I had to know more about you. After you told me you’d kick my ass if I ever pulled another stunt like that on the court, I couldn’t resist trying. Neal may be a prized prat, but he knows what he’s talking about. Lita is worth getting to know.”

“And now you know I wasn’t kidding when I said that I could kick your ass,” she smiled.

“I wish I’d have known sooner,” he sighed. “You’re okay with this, aren’t you?” She frowned at him. “You know that I’m… me again.”

“Of course, Neal,” she replied quietly. “It’s just… how? You were dead.”

“So were you,” he reminded her. “Twice. I don’t know how we’re here to be honest, but I thank all the stars that I am. It’s so good to see you, Ju.”

At the nickname, she felt something both familiar and alien go through her that seemed to pull at her heartstrings. She knew he felt it too. When she looked at him, it confirmed what she already knew. He was Nephrite, she was Princess Jupiter, but they were still Neal and Lita. They were both. And he wanted to know her, all of her.

“As angry as I am with Raye for not telling me, I’m glad she didn’t,” Lita confessed. “For so long now, I’ve watched Serena struggle to get closer to Darien everyday knowing that this guy wasn’t her guy. It’s heart breaking to watch, really. I know that it must have been difficult for Raye to know more than she wished she ever knew.” She looked at Neal with a smile on her face. “I’ve missed you.”

“It’s nice to know why I couldn’t stay away from you,” he purred. “I wasn’t supposed to.”

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, just watching the wildlife go about their business in the park. The ripples on the surface of the water obvious in the light of the sun where the fish below came to the surface. The sounds of fellow visitors to the park, their laughter. To anyone on the outside, they appeared to be two friends enjoying each other’s company. If only they knew what they were feeling underneath the exterior.

“So, what happens now?” Neal finally asked. “Do I keep continuing my attempts to court you or do we go back to living in two worlds and sneaking a kiss or two?”

Lita burst out laughing.

“Subtle really isn’t part of your vocabulary,” she giggled, wiping under her eyes where some tears had leaked out in her laughter. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Everything is different now.”

“Is it?” Neal asked, his expression and tone serious. “The only thing that is different is that we remember who we are, finally, and no longer living a lie. It’s less complicated here than in the time of the Silver Millennium. There are obstacles here, but we were so restricted back then.” Lita was nodding her head in agreement slowly. “We’re here now, knowing how or not, it doesn’t matter. You girls aren’t alone to shoulder this. It doesn’t change the fact I love you.”

She turned to look at him, her emerald green eyes wide in shock. It felt like her heart had skipped a beat and it took everything in her power to not check that her heart had resumed its usual rhythm. She suddenly found that she had no words to respond with and she simply stared at him. She felt his arm circle round her back to rest at her waist and he squeezed her gently.

“Stop running from me, Jules,” her pleaded. “Lita’s amazing but you’re everything. And I want to know _all_ of her.”

“But Serena and Darien…” she trailed off.

“With training, we’ll be stronger again,” he promised her. “We’ve already discussed this last night. We will be ready to protect our prince and we’ll be here to help all of you. Whatever you need.”

“You’re already strong,” she stated, resting her hand against his cheek, not looking away from his dark blue eyes. “Your instincts kicked in before you even knew what you were doing or who you really are. You saved me from an attack that would have been horrendous.” She winced at the memory of poor Mina that one time. “Thank you.”

“I’d do it all over again, Ju,” he declared.

She smiled, leaning over, and planting a kiss on his cheek. She pulled away and let herself lean against him as his arm came up to rest on her side. She felt herself warm at the feeling of being in his embrace again. She never would have dared to dream this would happen.

***

Killian opened the door to his apartment and found Mina stood on the other side. The question of how she was stood there or how she knew where he lived were but a thought for a blink of an eye as the memory of them were lost to him when she jumped up at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and flinging her arms around his neck. She kissed him long and hard on the lips, her grip on him never once waning. It hadn’t occurred to him once to not kiss her back. He found himself stepping back into the apartment, with one hand supporting her and the other pushing the door closed behind them before finding purchase again at her back. His hand then found its way to her neck as they kissed deeper, a tongue running across a bottom lip, asking permission to deepen their kiss further. They somehow found themselves on his sofa, she above him as his height advantage of one feet five inches would have crushed her slight frame. Her red bow had somehow come undone and was now on the floor, her long blonde tresses now fallen over her shoulders in waves, pooling on his chest. The instant bolt of ecstasy that they experienced once they felt each other’s touch on their skin continued to race round their system thanks to the adrenaline and that was what made it harder to pull away from each other.

Mina had missed his blue grey eyes that were reminiscent of a thunderstorm about to roll in. Yes, she’d seen them so many times when she was out on a date with Killian, but it was different seeing them on _her_ lover. Her baby blues softened as she stared down at him, affectionately running her fingers through his long white hair. She could see in his face that he was astounded she was here in his apartment, but equally, he was thrilled.

“Mina,” he smiled for the first time since she’d arrived as his mouth had been otherwise engaged.

“I’ve missed you,” she told him tenderly.

“And I you,” he murmured, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. “How come you came over here?”

She looked at him pointedly.

“I mean besides that you wanted to see me,” he laughed.

“I realised something,” she expressed. “It’s confusing feeling like you’re two different people. After Queen Serenity sent us all to be reborn on Earth and we awakened as the sailor guardians, it was weird, like we were having an out of body experience, watching our new selves live as our old selves. I knew it was going to be weird for you guys, too and you’ll live through the same thing. It was going to affect our relationships and make us question everything we know. We can make our vows and hope to be enough just as we are. But none of us can vow to be perfect. In the end, all we can do is promise to love each other with everything we’ve got, because love’s the best thing we do.”

“I never wondered why you were well renowned as the goddess of love,” he chuckled. He ran his fingers down her spine with a fond smile on his face. “Is this your way of telling me that you want to be with me?”

“No,” she replied. She giggled when she watched his face fall. “Are you kidding? I was never going to be with anyone else.”

She leaned down and pressed her lips against his. He brushed his hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear and she cocked her head to one side looking at him watching her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I really missed your face,” he told her after a moments pause. “Just let me have this moment.”


	26. Chapter 26

Serena knocked on the door, wringing her hands together anxiously as she waited for the door to swing open. After a pause, there was a shuffle behind the door, a bang then the door was pulled open by a very dishevelled looking Darien. She blinked, staring at him with her mouth agape at the sight of him. Her eyebrows pushed together as she considered the state of him, his hair sticking in every which way direction as if he’d had the most restless sleep in the world, his shirt twisted round his body, his clothes creased and his face looking wiped. She took an involuntary step back.

“Darien, are you okay?” she asked.

He stared at her then appeared to shake out of the trance he was in.

“Serena? What are you doing here?”

“I came to see how you are after I left you yesterday,” she explained.

“Oh,” he responded, shaking his head to perk himself up a little. “Yes, I’m quite alright, thank you. Have you just come from school?” He peered at her sailor uniform.

“Yeah,” she nodded, her eyebrows pushing further together. “Darien, are you alright? You seem really out of it.”

Darien pushed his hand against his forehead and yawned.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” he apologised. “I’ve been asleep all day. Weird.”

“Did you miss school?” she asked, her eyebrows now lodged in the ceiling.

“Well if I didn’t, I must have a dashingly handsome twin out there somewhere,” he teased with a twinkle in his eye.

She rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Do you feel any better for the rest?” she prodded.

“Actually, yes,” he replied. “Still a little wiped but I’m sure coffee will kick that right out of me.”

“A chocolate milkshake would do that better,” she said playfully.

“I’m sure the crash would be the equivalent of going down a slide once the sugar rush wears off,” he chuckled.

“But it’s so worth it!” she insisted.

They smiled at each other and Serena saw some of the colour in his cheeks again. It seemed a little playful banter had restored the Darien before the library episode. Honestly, it had scared her more than she’d let on.

“Ah, this saves me knocking on the door,” a deep, but gentle voice interrupted them.

They both looked down the corridor to see Killian approaching them, the usual dull, bored expression on his face. All of his emotion seemed to be held in his eyes and this was one feature that everyone who knew of him unanimously agreed on. Darien raised his eyebrows at the surprise visitor.

“Killian, hi,” he greeted. “How are you doing?”

“Wondering why you ditched today,” Killian returned. He glanced at Serena. “Hey, Serena. How are you?”

“Good,” she nodded. “I’m always good at this time. School’s over.” She grinned.

“Some things never change,” Killian chuckled.

Darien’s eyes were flicking between them, confusion etched into his features.

“Have you two been hanging out or something?” Darien asked wryly.

Two heads swivelled round to look at him, perplexed.

“It’s just that you said that _some things never change_,” Darien explained.

“Oh,” Killian laughed.

“Well, he’s dating Mina,” Serena elaborated, cursing them both for being so familiar with each other and not considering how odd that would appear to Darien.

Darien nodded slowly, then turned to Killian.

“So, why have you come over anyway?”

“Like I said, you ditched, that’s weird, what’s going on?”

Darien’s eyes momentarily flickered to Serena and he shrugged.

“I felt unwell and thought it was best to stay home today,” he answered.

“Well, you’ve got colour in your cheeks and you’re stood on your feet, so get dressed,” Killian ordered. “We’re going to hang out with the guys.”

Darien raised his eyebrows at Serena.

“See what I have to put up with?”

“Yes,” she said flatly. “Great friends.”

And with that, she pushed him back into his apartment, closing the door behind him, unknowingly causing him to trip up over the lamp that he’d accidentally knocked over when he’d come to answer the door to her.

***

Chad pursed his lips when he recognised the figure stood at the top of the staircase that led to the Cherry Hill Temple, bent over with his hands on his knees getting his breath back. Presumably, he was here to see Raye again. He still felt annoyed with her that she’d fobbed him off, ignored his concern for her and put her energies into _this_ guy when he’d been here the whole time. It irked him more than he wanted to admit because it hurt. He’d loved her since he first set eyes on her and it killed him that after all this time, she didn’t appear to reciprocate, until this guy appeared out of nowhere. He turned back to the job at hand sweeping up all the leaves at the front of the temple and resolutely ignored Jackson as he approached him.

“Hi, Chad, right?” Jackson hedged, knowing full well how the apprentice thought of him.

“Yep,” Chad replied shortly, continuing to rake the leaves into a pile. “After Raye, I presume?”

“Yes, but actually, I’d like to speak with you, if you have a moment?”

Chad looked up at him in shock, taken aback at his unexpected request. What could they possibly have to talk about? Intrigued, he nodded and raked up the last of the fallen leaves in a pile and stabbed his rake over the top of the pile to prevent them from being blown all over the place again. He followed Jackson over to the bench that sat under the large tree where Phobos and Deimos tended to nest, sitting himself down tensely.

“I know this is a little odd,” Jackson started, “but I wanted to talk about Raye.”

“Whatever for?”

“Right, I’m just going to come out with it. We can be straight with each other, right?”

Chad shrugged, which Jackson took as a yes.

“I know that things have been tense between you for a while and I suspect – well, I know – that I may have had something to do with that.” Chad glared at him, raised his eyebrows with a sigh and stared out across the grounds. “Look, I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t want to come between you.”

“But you did anyway,” Chad interrupted. “I’m the one who has been there for her. I’m the one who has been here. And she pushed me aside in favour of you.”

“She has a big heart,” Jackson continued. “And I know you know that. She may act tough, but she’s easily hurt. She is very fond of you – anyone can see that. But we can’t force affections to go where they don’t want to.”

“That’s easy for you to say if you have them,” Chad grumbled.

“It’s not a competition,” Jackson argued. “I’m not saying I have them. Raye doesn’t allow herself to love because she puts everyone else above herself. I’m not sure either of us will ever be able to comprehend just how much. Raye has been through a lot and I’ll admit that I’ve been part of the experience. We’ve known each other for a long time but it doesn’t mean that I’ve been close to her. She’s closed off.”

“Yeah,” Chad agreed, his features finally softening. “I’ve noticed.

“I know that despite how angry and annoyed you feel with her because she’s not particularly constant, you still care for her,” Jackson told him. “If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have put up with how she has inevitably treated you in all this time. Her temper is legendary. Believe me, I’ve had it, too. Don’t be angry with her because I came back into her life. It’s really not her fault that she’s here one day and absent the next. She doesn’t want to live like that, but that’s just how her life goes.”

“Why does it feel like you’re telling me you know more about her than I ever could?” Chad frowned.

“Because she was the one who saved me when I had my accident,” Jackson revealed. “That’s how she got so injured. And I knew that I’ll be hard pushed to find another with as pure a heart.”

Chad blinked, surprised by this revelation.

“She never told me the details,” he murmured.

“I suppose she didn’t want to relive it,” Jackson shrugged. “Don’t freeze her out, mate. She feels it deeply, she just won’t show it to you.” He blew air into his cheeks and ran his fingers through his short, blonde hair. “I don’t know if she’ll accept a relationship with me, but I respect her decision either way. And I feel that deep down, you feel the same. If you dislike me, or hell, even hate me because you feel I came into your life like a wrecking ball, then fine. But I know you’d rather have her in your life than lose her because she couldn’t be what you wanted her to be.”

Chad continued to stare out over the grounds and Jackson noted that he was nodding minutely to himself. He turned to look up at Jackson through his long bangs.

“As much as I hate to admit this, you’re right,” he admitted. “I know I’ve been unfair to Raye but when she turns her light off on you, it’s like you turn to dust.”

Jackson bit his lip and said nothing. He knew all too well what that was like. His eye caught sight of long raven hair blowing in the breeze and the bright red hakama, unmistakable features of the priestess of the shrine. He watched her face jolt in surprise at finding Jackson and Chad together then proceeded to cross the grounds towards them. Chad’s head shot to face her direction and he got to his feet.

“Hey, what are you two doing?” she demanded.

Chad glanced at Jackson and turned back to Raye.

“I’d better get back to work,” he announced. “It was good talking to you, Jackson.”

He put his hand on Raye’s shoulder as he passed her and went back to dealing with the leaves. Raye watched him leave, perplexed, and turned back to Jackson.

“Something I said?” she asked, noting the warmer temperature between them.

“No, but it may have been something I said,” he replied, patting the empty space next to him which Chad had just vacated.

Raye took him up on the offer and sat down next to him. Intrigued, she gestured for him to continue.

“We had a guy to guy talk,” he told her.

“Is that code for ‘we talked about you’?” she asked tartly.

“He needed reassurance that he’s not second best,” he replied, ignoring her. “He realised that there’s more to you than being a pillar of ice.”

“Charming!” Raye exclaimed, elbowing him in the ribs.

“You know what I mean!” he defended himself. “I told him that you saved my life, explaining that’s how you ended up so injured yourself. I suppose for him it may explain how I became a presence in your life… and a thorn in Chad’s side.”

“Great,” she grumbled. “So it’s going to be like the Spanish Inquisition. Like I don’t have enough difficulty failing to explain away the weirdness of my life.”

“He won’t question you on it,” Jackson assured her.

She looked at him sceptically but decided to trust him on it anyway.

“So, did you also tell him that while I saved you in this life, I have also killed you in the past?”

Jackson’s head whipped round to stare at her. She raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of question is that?” he asked her blankly.

“You’re not telling me that you forgot that I did that, are you?” she pondered in disbelief. “Honestly, Jack, you can’t expect me to believe you’ve either a, forgotten it, or b, forgiven me for it?”

“Why not?” he shrugged. “You did what you had to. Why should it matter now? The Dark Kingdom had a strong sway on us and when channelling that energy for so long, we were strong. I don’t blame you for doing your duty by your princess.”

“How can you be so self-righteous?” she snapped.

“I live in the now,” he returned. “What’s the point in dwelling on what happened?”

“Because you’re here to ask me where we stand,” she sighed.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I can’t give you the answer you hope to hear,” she shrugged helplessly.

“And how would you know what I hope to hear?” He noted her pointed look. “Right, the psychic thing.”

“I’m not a psychic!” she exclaimed, offended.

“Why can’t we get back together? Give me one good reason why,” he demanded.

“Because I didn’t hesitate when I killed you,” she cried. “I don’t want to be put in that position again. To kill you because I have to as my duty calls for it. There is no space in my life to love, only to protect.”

“And you think Serenity’s life is to love and not protect? She does one because she does the other.”

“You’re going to use Serena in your argument here?”

“She is the best example we have,” he argued. “At the end of the day, things are hopeless for her, again, and she’s still waiting in the wings for Darien to return to her. She once killed him to save him. You did exactly the same for me. Evil was made, not born. It needed to be killed and you killed it. We are the four heavenly kings, not the four horses of the apocalypse.”

Raye pursed her lips to stop herself from smiling.

“Besides,” he continued, “Lita killed Nephrite instantaneously with a bolt of lightning. They’re together.”

“You _still _don’t get it, do you?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not about the fact I killed you,” she denied. She took a breath. “I saw it before I did it. And when I meditate, when I sleep, when I close my eyes, I relive your death every time. The girls don’t get that because they don’t have the sight that I was born with. I can’t get the sight of your skeleton off my mind. It’s etched onto my brain and every time I look at you, it’s like seeing everything that I’m capable of. And it’s just too much, Jack.”

She felt his fingers intertwine with hers as he took her hand and she attempted to pull away, but he held firm. He took her cheek in his free hand and turned her face to look at him.

“Listen,” he said gently, “I’m not going to ask anything of you but just know, as none-romantic as this is, I simply loved you more for embracing what was difficult. Just because you’re capable, doesn’t mean that you’ll be the monster. The four heavenly kings _were _the four horses of the apocalypse in the time of the Silver Millennium and we continue to feel that shame to this day. If you want me, you know where I’ll be. I’m not going anywhere. I have all the time in the world. How could I be with anyone who couldn’t walk through fire and not get burned? You’re a goddess, Raye. Just let it go. I will meditate with you. Maybe we can get the images out of that overactive head of yours.”

“Jack…”

She felt her communicator buzz in her pocket, and he released her hand as she retrieved it. She gave it a cursory glance and looked up at him with a particular fire in her violet eyes.

“So, are you ready to get back on that horse then? Amy just buzzed to request our presence now for a training session.”

Jackson’s face spread into a grin.

***

“Where the hell have you been?” Neal shouted as he approached Jackson who was stood with the girls. Killian and Zane were following him close behind.

Jackson glanced at Raye and shrugged.

“Well, that answers that then,” Zane chuckled. He looked at Sailor Mercury. “So, how does this work?”

“Quite simple,” she replied. She tweaked her fingers at her ear and brought her Mercury goggles down over her eyes and tapped into her Mercury computer. Unbeknownst to them, each of the guys were now sporting looks of awe and amazement on their faces as they watched the sailor soldier’s headquarters turn into an arena. Mercury suddenly had the overwhelming urge to giggle. She glanced at the girls who were also transformed into their alter egos. “Do you want to give it a trial run?”

“Nope,” Sailor Jupiter declined. “We jumped right in. So should they.”

Neal raised his eyebrows at her and she winked back.

“Well, I suggest you guys power up,” Sailor Moon suggested.

“This is going to be strange,” Zane grumbled to himself.

They each brought out their respective crystals and nodded. In a beam of light, the four generals stood before the inner sailor soldiers. They stared at each other, the feeling a strange one as they looked at each other in their true forms for the first time in over a millennium. Moon flickered her eyes between the eight protectors and cleared her throat pointedly.

Kunzite then glanced at Jadeite and nudged him.

“You missed meeting Darien,” he scolded. “I told him we were all going to hang out and you didn’t show up.”

“Sorry!” Jadeite apologised, holding his hands up as if in surrender. “I was… otherwise engaged.”

“Sod that,” Kunzite retorted. “Next time, be there. We’re trying to integrate him into our group, not be absent.”

“It’s not like we were having a sleepover,” Jadeite rolled his eyes. “Besides, what excuse did you make up when you all suddenly had to drop him like a hot brick to come here for training?”

The girls were all watching this interchange in silence then Moon decided she’d had enough.

“Alright!” she exclaimed in exasperation. “I’m sure when Darien learns the real reason why you’re a rubbish friend,” she pointed at Jadeite then pointed at the other three, “and you three ditched him, he’ll forgive you for it. Now can we get on with this?”

The guys stood in line and looked attentively at Mercury. She blinked and shook her head.

“Anyway, how this works is that I basically programme the arena to be whatever I choose, and I create a monster with different abilities for us to train our reflexes on,” she explained.

“Just please God, no candyfloss monster,” Venus murmured, setting off giggles from Moon and Jupiter. Even Mars stifled a chuckle.

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment and Mars elaborated.

“Mercury refuses to acknowledge that she once created a monster made out of candyfloss,” she told them with a smile. “Honestly, it was ridiculous.”

“Excuse me!” Mercury uttered. “Do you mind?” She watched them all stand to attention and she nodded. “Alright, get ready.”

She tapped into her Mercury computer and the arena suddenly went foggy. When it lifted, the soldiers found what looked to be temple ruins.

“Huh,” Mars whistled. “You’ve really outdone yourself on the creepzoid factor.”

“Wait,” Mercury smirked.

“What is that noise?” Nephrite frowned, looking around the arena.

The buzzing only got louder and louder.

“Alright, get your game face on boys,” Venus told them, cracking her knuckles.

Mars started chanting into the ofuda that she held in front of her face, an energy seeming to charge the air around her. She opened her eyes and threw the ofuda in front of her yelling, “fire soul bird!” releasing a fireball from her index fingers. The fire engulfed the ofuda, taking on the shape of a phoenix. The phoenix made a piercing scream as it glided forward and hurled a tremendous fire attack. They all watched as a swarm of millions of tiny buzzing objects came into view in the sky and then was instantly disintegrated by the flames. Mars smirked.

The Earth beneath their feet appeared to quake and shake causing the soldiers to hold their ground until Venus screamed and found herself on the floor, her leg caught in what appeared to be a bandage. Kunzite flung his hands out in front of him, blades of energy shooting from the palms of his hands flying through the air like a boomerang which caught onto the bind and tore it from Venus’ leg. She quickly scrambled away. Then from behind one of the upright walls, a slow figure came into view, wrapped head to foot in bandages. What was so odd about this figure was that its ribcage could clearly be seen which was disturbing. Its hollow eyes stared at them, baring its teeth.

The rumbling of the Earth only seemed to get more intense and rubble started to fall. Nephrite noticed that one of the tall remains of what was once a building seemed to be cracking under the pressure. Immediately, he dived forward and landed on Jupiter, pushing her out of the way and they rolled over the rickety ground.

“Ah,” she groaned. She looked back and saw the top half of the wall fall to where she was previously stood. “Nice reflexes.”

Nephrite smiled, then expertly leaped to his feet, flipping over her form on the ground and he bounded off a rock and threw a kick at a second bandaged figure.

“Looks like we have mummies all over main street,” Moon joked.

“Not the time, Meatball Brains,” Mars retorted. She looked around with a confused frown. “Where’s Jadeite?”

She ducked as a piece of debris flew through the air.

“Damn,” she scowled as she felt something scratchy and rough round her neck.

She reached her hands up to the bind round her neck and felt what should have been a hand gripping her neck. Her eyes flickered over the simulated area to see the others in battles of their own with mummies that appeared all over the place. She saw Kunzite and Venus working together with their combination of light and dark energy blasts. Nephrite and Jupiter were in battles of their own – Jupiter using her nature based attacks while Nephrite exercised his control over electricity, occasionally getting into hand to hand combat. Mercury was tapping into her Mercury computer, prompting Zoisite on where to aim his attacks using fire after his powerful green energy balls weren’t serving him well. _Where was Jadeite?_ The four heavenly kings certainly weren’t a patch on what they were, but their reflexes were good.

Mars concentrated and summoned fire in her hand, flicking her fingers so that it surrounded her. She flicked her wrist and the fire absorbed back into her hand. She reached up to the bind round her neck and whispered, “Mars snake fire.” The fire shot from her fingers and took the form of a snake, engulfing and disintegrating the bandage. She turned and looked into the face of a mummy and her violet eyes widened.

Jadeite materialised out of nowhere and used his telekinetic abilities to bind the mummy with its own bandages, wrapping the loose dressing around its neck. It appeared to do nothing until Jadeite spotted a dangerously sharp rock and flicked his fingers to launch it at the mummy’s head, impaling it.

“Well, that’s awesome,” Mars commented tartly, watching as the mummy merely reached up and pulled at the rock stuck in its head. She shot her hand out, the mark of Mars glowing in her palm, flames coming to life spreading up her arm until the Mars Arrow materialised against her flattened hand pointing towards the monster drunkenly flailing its arms at its head. “Mars flame sniper!” she cried, releasing the fiery arrow which hit the mummy bullseye in the scarab beetle that sat in its chest.

She watched in satisfaction as the mummy’s face seemed to go blank and it turned to dust, leaving behind the bandages. She stared at Jadeite.

“Where the hell were you?”

“I’m a master of disguise, remember?” Jadeite reminded her. “I was here the whole time. No one could see me.”

“Did you have to wait until I got the bandaged fiend off me myself?”

“I wanted to see if you still had that fire in you,” he teased.

“Well, at least we know _your _approach is absolutely useless,” she commented. She heard a screech of terror and her head snapped round. “Sailor Moon?”

Everyone’s attention was now turned to the Moon Princess who was on her back, clambering over debris on the ground. Three mummies were gaining on her, their eyes appearing to glow a ghastly green as they did so. In the moment everyone’s attentions were diverted, they were all caught by their own opponents, but not physically. They all suddenly started to cough up bugs and dirt which seemed to pour out of their mouths like a waterfall with each cough. Mars quickly brought out two ofudas and held them over Jadeite’s mouth and her own, murmuring chants as she used them to counteract the attack affecting the others.

“It’s like a plague,” she mumbled to herself. “The mummies are causing this.”

She looked around and realised that her mummy was the only one that was taken care of. No matter the powers that the others used, it wasn’t enough to destroy them. She noted the dull scarab on top of the bandages of the mummy she’d annihilated, where once it was a bright emerald green.

“Moon!” she shouted, attempting to warn her.

But it was at that moment that the three mummies opened their mouths and hundreds of flies came out of their gobs, quickly filling the surrounding areas so that it was almost impossible to make out the figure of Sailor Moon. She shot her hands up in horror and a bright shining pure-white light fired from the palms of her hands. It was different this time. The light didn’t just shoot out in the direction that Moon held up her hands, it burst out of her, briefly illuminating her body from the inside out, causing the flies to drop to the ground, taking out the mummies immediately in front of her and filling the rest of the arena with the blinding light. There was the distinct thump of bodies dropping to the ground and when the light died, Mars looked round to find a pile of bandages where the mummies once stood, with the dull scarabs sat on the top and all evidence of what the soldiers had been hacking up was gone, leaving them no longer incapacitated.

Mars ran over to Sailor Moon first with the rest of them close behind to find her unconscious in the middle of the circle of the flies. Venus glanced at Kunzite and took an involuntary step away from him in shock. He appeared to be glowing like the full moon at night.

“What on Earth…” she started, struggling to find the words.

The girls blinked when they looked at Kunzite then their mouths fell open when they realised the same was happening to Nephrite, Jadeite and Zoisite.

“What… what is happening to us?” Zoisite questioned, staring at his hands, an action mimicked by the others.

Little did they know that the light didn’t just touch the simulated battle ground.


	27. Chapter 27

“Mother?”

She didn’t remember opening her eyes. She couldn’t remember what she was doing before she found herself standing here in this ethereal glow. She almost felt like she was having an out of body experience. She blinked.

“Are you real?”

Queen Serenity gave a gentle laugh as she stepped forward to stand in front of the Moon Princess.

“Oh, Serena, you haven’t changed at all. Always asking a million questions.” She put her hands on Serena’s shoulders. “Dead or alive? Real or imagined? Past or present? These things are of no consequence. All that matters is that you heed the words of your mother who loves you. Do not let go, Serena, do not give in.”

Serena frowned, confused.

“I don’t understand,” she confessed. “Why am I here?”

She glanced around her, feeling like her surroundings were incredibly familiar somehow.

“Yes, this is the Moon Kingdom, as it should have always been,” Serenity told her, gesturing behind her at the Moon Castle with a sad sigh and a small smile.

Serena’s eyes flickered over Serenity, noting the long tresses of white hair that appeared to hold a silver shimmer that flowed from the buns at the top of her head, not unlike her own, a golden coloured crescent moon on her forehead, visible beneath her bangs, the mark of the Silver Millennium and the royal family’s symbol. She knew that in that moment, she was also baring the holy mark too. She wore her white dress with a bow on the bust, adorned with a gold crescent brooch which brought an ache to Serena’s heart. Her eyes looked down to see her own familiar princess gown, the golden beaded bracelet on her right wrist. Her eyebrows raised when she noticed her usual vibrant blonde hair was now a silvery-white, similar to her Lunarian mother’s. She felt Serenity’s fingers brush against her hand, and then grasp it gently.

“Come on,” Serenity invited, nodding her head towards the castle that shone bright as a crystal.

Serena allowed herself to be guided down the bridge that was surrounded by the glistening lake until they reached the split winding staircases that led up to the castle’s entrance. They entered to find the generously large foyer welcoming them with a warmth that seemed to fill Serena up with peace. Her eyes darted every which way direction as the Queen of the Silver Millennium led her up another staircase, down a long corridor and into what appeared to be a spacious and open bedroom. Serena immediately felt a jolt of déja vu hit her as her eyes took in the neat four-poster bed with delicate pearl pink sheets and shimmery fabrics draped around the frame. Her eyes flickered across the room to the pure-white vanity stood directly across from the bed which she walked over to admire it more closely. She picked up an intricate bottle of perfume and inhaled the floral scent which reminded her a little of spring, something the moon didn’t have. She put it back down and noticed a floor length dress on a hanger on the door of the wardrobe. It was a sweetheart sleeveless tulle ball gown in the deepest shade of red which wouldn’t have looked out of place on Princess Mars. It made her wonder why such a thing would be in this room.

“After you first experienced the autumn season on Earth, you were obsessed,” Serenity interrupted her musings. “You asked for that dress to be made so that you had something to remind you of the colours of the leaves that changed with the seasons.”

“It’s beautiful,” Serena commented.

Serenity smiled, her hands clasped together in front of her, her eyes drinking in the sight of her daughter. The object of her fixation turned to face her, confusion still etched onto her soft features.

“I still don’t understand,” she admitted.

“Everything you see here is real,” Serenity assured her.

Serena blinked.

“Everything here is real?” she checked. “You’re real?”

“As real as you are,” the queen nodded.

Serena stepped forward to embrace her tightly, feeling the swell of tears in her throat which she tried to swallow.

“But… how?” Serena sniffed, brushing a stray tear away from her cheek.

“Did you know that moonlight consists of mostly sunlight reflected from the parts of the Moon’s surface where the Sun’s light strikes?” Serenity asked her. “With a little earthlight, of course.”

Serena shook her head.

“Have you never wondered what makes the Silver Crystal the single most powerful artifact in the entire cosmos?

Again, Serena shook her head.

“Light cannot destroy darkness, it can only create more light.” Serenity gestured to their surroundings and nodded towards the open balcony where the heavenly glow was most obvious. “The Moon embraces light like an old friend and the Silver Crystal responds to that light. We are hope. We are light. And we are the guardians of love. The power of the planets and stars lend us their light because the Moon embraces it. This is why the power of the Silver Crystal continues to grow.” She smiled at Serena. “I’m surprised you never questioned why you’re so much stronger when you’re near Prince Endymion.”

His name suddenly brought her memories of the battle simulation with the newly awakened Shitennou to the forefront of her mind and it was like the fog in her mind was lifted. She was here with her lunarian mother, but she wasn’t awake on Earth.

“It’s amazing what the right words can do, isn’t it?” Serenity mused, watching the light turn on in her daughter’s eyes.

“Raye, Amy, Lita, Mina,” Serena blurted out as if she had developed a case of sudden-onset Tourette’s syndrome. “Darien…”

“They’re fine,” Serenity reassured her. “But you need to be with me for a little while longer.”

“Why?” Serena demanded, suddenly anxious.

“To understand what is happening on Earth,” she replied.

Serena let go of the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. She tried her best to ignore the anxiety ball currently sat in her stomach and felt the small frown between her eyebrows.

“Why am I stronger around Darien?” she settled for.

“Follow me,” Serenity ordered, crossing the room, and walking out onto the balcony.

Serena obliged and followed her until they met at the balcony’s marble railing. She looked out at the sight in front of her and realised that the blue marble that met her equally blue orbs was the Earth. Her head spun round to look back at the bedroom.

“Yes, that is your bedroom,” Serenity smiled. “You spent so many hours out here gazing at the Earth. Then you started to visit the blue planet and that was when I realised that you had formed a connection with Earth after you met the prince.” She let loose a soft giggle. “It was like two hearts combined and the Silver Crystal responded to it.”

“So, it wasn’t just his healing abilities?”

“Your connection is deeper than that,” Serenity replied. “The Croatoan is a manifestation of this broken connection. Unfortunately, its purpose is to expose all secrets in its presence to bring back the equilibrium that the universe needs and the hidden truths in your life isn’t enough to focus its energy. The Croatoan has no set goal or object of focus. When the four heavenly kings awoke with their memories, it was enough to weaken the Croatoan for some time. In the case of Prince Endymion…” Serenity pursed her lips when she caught eyes with Serena, “Darien, his memories are harder to reach because of the trauma – emotional and physical – that he experienced in his lives.”

“So what will help us to bring back his memories?” Serena asked somewhat impatiently. “Can the Silver Crystal heal him?”

“It’s not that easy,” Serenity replied regretfully.

“So, it’s hopeless,” Serena concluded, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

“No, Serena,” she replied firmly. “Tapping into the power of the Moon won’t magically bring him back to you. Faith will.”

“Faith? That’s it,” Serena repeated, unimpressed.

“Not yours,” Serenity said, “his. He needs to believe in you in order to find himself again.”

“What is there to believe in?”

“Serena, listen to me.” Serenity turned Serena round to face her directly. “You are a child of the Moon. You are light. You are hope. You are the guardian of love and justice. You are extraordinary. He needs to remember why. You will find that the Shitennou awakening as their true selves will help him get there.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Serena frowned.

“Just like he makes you stronger, you complete him,” Serenity told her, bringing her hand up to Serena’s cheek. “He’s lost so much, including himself. You’re his safe space among so much turmoil. And right now, he doesn’t understand why he feels this way. You’re his anchor.”

“But why did Darien’s amnesia bring the Croatoan here?” Serena glanced at the Earth. “There.”

“The Earth needs its guardian.”

***

“What the buggering hell was that?” Mars swore.

Everyone gaped at her for a moment before recovering and turning back to Serena lying on the floor who had de-transformed immediately after the entire arena was wiped of the simulation. Mercury was tapping into her handheld computer to bring down the battle arena while the guys were busy staring in amazement at the palms of their hands.

“Serena, wake up,” Venus coaxed, shaking her shoulder gently. “Sere?”

“It’s okay to wake up now, Serena,” Jupiter encouraged, squeezing her hand.

“What are you guys staring at?” Mars snapped, her hands on her hips staring at the guys. “And why did you all go nuclear?”

Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and Kunzite exchanged looks and nodded, knowing what each of them felt was the same.

“We think…” Nephrite hedged uncertainly.

“Sailor Moon restored our connection with the Earth Prince,” Kunzite explained.

“How do you know that?” Mercury asked, keeping one eye firmly fixed on her computer as she examined Serena.

“This is why,” Zoisite said, revealing the Zoisite stone in his hand.

The remaining Shitennou did the same, unveiling their own stones. Mars and Mercury peered at them while Jupiter and Venus glanced their way, their attentions primarily taken by their unconscious princess.

“You may need to elaborate,” Mercury suggested.

“They’re like your own sailor crystals,” Zoisite explained.

“Except our stones keep us connected to Darien,” Nephrite continued.

“And Darien to the Earth,” Jadeite contributed.

“Through his own power as the prince of the Earth,” Kunzite finished.

“So, what does this mean?” Mars wondered.

“I have no doubt that Darien felt the power of the moon,” Kunzite said with confidence, glancing at Serena in Jupiter’s arms.

“Why?” Jupiter asked.

“The Shitennou stones have been awakened,” he shrugged. “The Earth crystal responded.” He noted the question in Jupiter’s face and continued. “Just like you can lend your power to Princess Serenity and the Silver Crystal, we share a similar connection with Prince Darien. You can feel her power, right?”

“Yep,” Mercury interjected. “And on that note, that is what is keeping Serena asleep. We can’t wake her.”

“What do you mean _we can’t wake her_?” Venus echoed in horror.

“The Silver Crystal is keeping her asleep right now,” Mercury explained patiently. “That burst of power… she didn’t do that on purpose, and it wasn’t fear of the simulated monsters in our training that caused it. It was instinctual and she probably didn’t know she had it in her, really.”

“Why do you seem unconcerned?” Jupiter and Nephrite accused simultaneously.

They caught each other’s eyes and shared a small smile.

“This is why,” Mercury elaborated, stepping forward and bending down to Serena. She reached for her crystal compact and picked it up to reveal the shining Silver Crystal. “You see? The shine is strong, if a little dull. She’s okay.”

“But this isn’t normal, surely?” Nephrite mused.

“Maybe not for a child of the Moon,” Mercury answered.

“So, what do we do?” Jupiter asked.

“That might be up to Darien,” Mars suggested.

“And on that note, I think it’s time we visited him,” Kunzite announced.

“Really?”

Kunzite raised his eyebrows at Zoisite, Jadeite and Nephrite.

“Of course,” he nodded. “We need to know if anything has changed for him.”

“But we only saw him this morning!” Nephrite exclaimed.

“Not all of us,” Kunzite replied, looking at Jadeite. “There’s our excuse."

“Keep us posted,” Venus ordered. “We must know if he knows anything.” She looked at the slumbering Serena. “We need to know if he can help her. And why this happened.”

“Only Serena will know that,” Mars pondered, her brain ticking away.

“Anyone going to discuss the elephant in the room?” Venus asked. Everyone raised their eyebrows at her. “Serena. We can’t very well drop her off at home.”

“She’s staying at the temple,” Mars declared. “It’s the safest place for her and I can protect her. Grandpa and Chad will be away for some training thing that Grandpa insists on, so we have all clear. I can protect her there.”

“That’s a lucky coincidence,” Jadeite observed.

Mars looked at him.

“Great,” Mercury nodded. “We’ll move her. You all decide how you’re going to approach Darien. He doesn’t need an intervention.” She turned to Zoisite. “Do you have some time spare this afternoon?” she asked.

“Yes, of course, why?” he answered, a little taken aback.

“I need your brain,” came the reply.

“Anything you need.”

Mercury looked at him, pressing her lips together, ignoring the feelings that motivated in her.

***

“Hey, guys,” Jackson broke the silence, “thanks for letting me gate crash but I’ve got to head off to the temple now.”

Amy and Zane brought their noses out of their respective books to look up at him.

“No problem,” Amy smiled. “It was a pleasure to have you.”

Jackson piled his books and dumped them into his bag in one clean swoop, zipping it up. He grabbed his bottle of water and swigged from it.

“Well, as much as there were other things I’d rather have been doing, I got all my assignments done,” Jackson nodded with a grin.

“A first,” Zane commented.

“Thanks, mate,” Jackson chuckled, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

“Good luck at Raye’s,” Amy said. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” he replied with a nod. “See you later, Zane.”

Zane raised his hand to wave him off and watched him leave before turning back to Amy, whose nose was firmly lodged in the pages of her book again. He observed her for a moment, noting the way her tongue was stuck out just slightly as she concentrated, her eyebrows pushed together in a slight frown, the blue of her eyes reminding him almost of a thundery sky. He knew she was in a deep concentration. It never took long for her to get into this trance.

“Amy,” he said.

There was no response.

“Amy,” he tried again.

Her eyes continued to skim across the pages as she took in every word, which he knew she would remember word perfect. So, he tried the one thing that he knew would get her attention: he leaned towards her and blew air down her ear. She jumped so high in her seat in shock that her book also left the table’s surface. She turned to stare at him in horror.

“What on earth are you doing?” she demanded.

“It was impossible to get your attention,” he shrugged.

“Well, you have it,” she sighed, rubbing her ear. “What?”

“Have you given it anymore thought?”

She pursed her lips, closing her book, sitting back in her chair.

“You mean have I given you anymore thought,” she corrected.

“No, I mean have you given you and I anymore thought,” he retorted.

“You want to do this now?” she asked tightly. “We’re trying to research here.”

“The Croatoan isn’t going anywhere,” he reminded her. “And neither is Serena, or Darien.”

“Look, Zane,” Amy sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “I just don’t do this very well. I don’t know how to be… Prince Darien and Princess Serenity. I don’t know how to do romance.”

“Well, you aren’t Princess Serenity,” he pointed out. “You’re Princess Mercury. And our story isn’t theirs. I’m not asking you to ‘do romance’. I’ve asked you to think about us. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve never been a prince to sweep you off your feet and I promise to never live up to that persona either.”

Amy swallowed and offered him a small smile. To other girls, they may have been disappointed to hear that the person they held most dear wouldn’t promise to be Prince Charming, but to Amy, it was everything.

“Thank you,” she murmured, reaching for his hand.

But before her hand could touch his, a scream echoed through the library and a crash with a following bang resounded through the halls. Her hand stilled above his own and their eyes met.

“This needs to wait,” she said.

He nodded and they got to their feet, transforming instantly, Sailor Mercury and Zoisite standing in their place. They ran out of the study room they were occupying and shot down the corridor, a couple of students running towards them and passing them quickly. The terror was obvious on their faces which explained why they didn’t give them a second glance. They followed the screams and came out into the main entrance hall of the library to find countless students seemingly unconscious on the floor, others trying to run away as fast as they could and the obvious figure of the Croatoan stood in the centre of the hall. A student was caught in its tentacles, reeling them into its snarling, gnashing mouth, just as a second student fell to the ground after the Croatoan pierced them in the neck.

A drop of water fell to the ground, followed by another and another, creating a ripple. More droplets surrounded Sailor Mercury as she spun around several times. The droplets coalesced into a stream of water.

“Shine aqua illusion!” Mercury cried, throwing the water stream at the Croatoan, who was promptly surrounded in a tower of water. “Freeze!” She watched in satisfaction when the tentacles were frozen.

Zoisite raced across the hall and pulled out his sword from his belt. His sword shone with the freeze he conjured on his weapon and he pulled it back and struck the tentacles as close to the Croatoan’s body as he could, ice clashing with ice. He winced at the sound the clash made but smirked at the sight of the tentacles coming away from the Croatoan’s torso. The creature made the almightiest screech of pain and it turned with unseeing eyes towards Zoisite and caught him with its razor-sharp teeth on his arm.

“Oh, hell!” Zoisite exclaimed, pulling away and diving out of the way of a newly grown tentacle.

“Zoisite!” Mercury yelled. “Are you alright?!”

“Just get the students out of the way,” he groaned.

“Mercury bubbles!” Mercury shouted, bringing her hands out in front of her, a ball of water forming between her hands. She twirled around, holding her arms in front of her with one arm crossed over the other. “Blast!” shooting her arms out and releasing the water in the hall creating a thick fog, significantly reducing the visibility.

She shot around the room, moving students in the immediate vicinity of the Croatoan out of the way, then pulled Zoisite with her. They watched in horror as the Croatoan recovered and walked out of the cloud like it was a pirate wondering through the fog that had rolled in. Zoisite cringed at the pain running down his arm and raised his other arm to launch a powerful green blast of energy at the monster coming at them. The Croatoan merely stumbled when the blast hit it in the shoulder but otherwise it was unfazed. Mercury stared at it, her memory suddenly being jogged by the sight of the green blast having no effect and she recalled Raye’s words.

_It’s immune to magic._

But it wasn’t immune to pure honesty from the heart.

She stepped forward away from Zoisite, much to his dismay and stopped a short distance from the Croatoan.

“I’m terrified of letting Zoisite in,” she confessed, noting that the Croatoan came to an abrupt halt. “But the problem is that I want to let him in more than anything. I met him on Earth in the time of the Silver Millennium when I raced over there with the sailor soldiers to bring Princess Serenity home because it was forbidden for the Moon people to be on the Earth. But despite my best intentions to stand by my duty as a guardian of the moon princess, I fell in love, too. I just don’t know how to love very well.”

With her greatest secret off her chest, she watched as the Croatoan faded away, leaving the sound of Zoisite’s laboured breathing, his eyes fixed on her.

***

Darien opened his door and grinned at who he found there.

“Killian!” he welcomed. “This is a nice surprise. What brings you by?”

“You didn’t get to meet everyone,” Killian replied, jerking his head towards Jackson. “This felt as good a time as any to swing by. I figured you’d be done with your run.”

Darien glanced at the clock and saw eight pm staring back at him. Oh yes, his evening run was long over, and he was just getting ready to eat. He was feeling better and it showed.

“You’re looking brighter than earlier,” Killian observed, crossing the threshold with Jackson and Neal in tow, not the only one realising with disappointment that it wasn’t their prince that answered the door. “Sorry, Zane is off somewhere with Amy, so he won’t be joining us.”

“Yeah,” Darien nodded, waving away the apology. “I was resting this afternoon and I felt like myself just as if a veil had been lifted. I don’t know how it passed so quickly, but I’m thankful for it.”

“Sounds like magic,” Neal said flatly.

Jackson elbowed him in the ribs.

“Sorry I missed meeting you last time,” Jackson apologised, leaning over to shake Darien’s hand.

“Don’t worry about it,” Darien replied. “It was only this morning!”

“Well, if I didn’t grab Jack now, God knows where he’d disappear off to,” Killian excused.

“Jesus, you sound like my mother,” Jackson rolled his eyes. “Anyway, we came over to ask you if you wanted to hang out tomorrow?”

“Sunday? Really?”

“Sure,” Jackson nodded.

“What did you have in mind?”

“We figured we’d hang out at my place, grab some food,” Killian shrugged.

“Oh damn!” Darien exclaimed. “I can’t do tomorrow. I’m supposed to be tutoring Serena.”

“Oh, really?” Neal asked, raising an eyebrow. “We’ve heard a lot about your tutoring dates with Serena. What’s going on there?”

“Well, biology,” Darien replied, not seeing the joke coming.

“Oh, _biology_,” Neal winked with a chuckle.

Killian shot him a look of disgust.

“Anyway, idiot aside,” Killian interrupted, “I think Serena is otherwise engaged with Raye tomorrow, so come join us.”

“Oh,” Darien said, taken aback. “She never said anything to me.”

“Yeah, apparently she’s feeling sick,” Neal told him. “Lita said so a little while ago.”

Killian stared at him in exasperation.

“Maybe I should go visit her,” Darien mused. “She helped me out.”

“No!” Killian objected. Darien frowned. “It could be something contagious which is why she’s at Raye’s as Raye is at the temple by herself for a little while as Grandpa and Chad are away on some training thing.”

“Oh, right,” Darien nodded slowly. “I’ll check on her.”

The only thing they could think to do was move the conversation on as they had no idea how to excuse that Serena wasn’t going to be making an appearance at any immediate future tutoring sessions anytime soon. Jackson spotted Darien’s guitar resting against the side of the sofa.

“Are you still playing?” he asked, nodding at the instrument.

Darien glanced at it and returned a nod of his own.

“I certainly am,” he answered.

“You still playing at Déjà Brew?” Killian wondered. “I know Mina insists on going every week.”

“And that she does,” Darien laughed. “I don’t go to perform nearly as often as she does. I try to be there every fortnight, but sometimes I’m forced to skip it. To be honest, the last time I played there was when Serena happened to be there a few weeks ago.”

“Oh, that must have been at the time when we went,” Jackson mused. “You were good, man.”

“Cheers,” Darien smiled. “You should try it sometime.”

“Alright, I know I give off the boyband vibe, but me being stood on a stage is on par with a bad karaoke,” Jackson grimaced.

Killian and Neal let loose a peal of laughter.

“The worst thing about that is one of those things is true and the other is absolute bollocks,” Neal chortled.

“I’ll go with the former being true,” Darien guessed with a smirk.

“Go to hell, the lot of you,” Jackson defended himself.

“So, what inspired your song choice anyway that night?” Killian turned to Darien.

Darien shrugged.

“I don’t know what to tell you to be honest,” he admitted. “I guess I liked the chords, and the soundtrack is beautiful.”

“Oh, come on, man!” Jackson exclaimed. “No guy sings a song like that without someone in mind.”

“It’s just a song, a tribute to the loved ones in our lives, how love would make us feel if going and sitting on a corner would be the only option,” Darien shrugged.

“And Prince Charming award of the year goes to…” Neal announced.

Jackson nudged him.

“So, who was it for?” Killian pressed.

“Me,” came the reply. “I just had this nagging idea in my head for such a long time of someone’s unfinished story and I had to write it. It was weirdly cathartic, though I don’t know why. I guess the story is a sad one because it’s an unfinished one.”

“Well, I guess we aren’t looking for a happy ending,” Killian said kindly. “I guess it’s a happy story when there’s still a possibility.”

“Exactly,” Darien nodded. “Sometimes hope is all someone has.”


	28. Chapter 28

_Darien…_

His name was a mere whisper in the wind, but it felt as loud as if someone had shouted it in his ear. He shot up in bed with a startled inhale of breath and stared into the darkness of his bedroom, the only hint of light streaming through his slightly open curtains at the windows from the moon high in the sky. He sighed, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He did not know what it was that made him feel so anxious, but it felt painful deep inside. He swung his legs from out under his covers and got to his feet, crossing his room and out of the doors to the balcony. He leaned on the railing and gazed up at the moon, feeling a sense of peace wash over him as if the moon were sprinkling calming vibes over him telling him that it is okay.

_Darien._

In some ways, his name felt more insistent, even in his wakened state. He had been feeling like he was hearing things for a while now and it seemed to be getting worse since Killian swung by with the guys last week. There were some things that were increasingly bothering him, and he felt like there was only one person he could voice them to, and he had not seen her since the day after he had that episode in the library. This was one of the things that bothered him more than he liked to admit. Her absence made him anxious, like something was wrong and no one would own up to that fact.

Second, he felt like he was spending every possible moment with Killian’s group of friends and it was great. Wonderful, even. He had a close-knit circle of guys to hang out with, study with, chill with, whatever the occasion and it was fine to be himself. It felt like he had known them far longer than he had. But sometimes it felt like he was being smothered by their insistence to include him in everything. He was convinced that subtly was not in Neal or Zane’s vocabulary. He felt like he was missing something fundamental when he was with the four of them and he could not put his finger on it.

Third, things felt weird. For example, a few days ago, Killian left a study session in the library to meet Mina and the next day when Darien spotted Mina in the Crown arcade, she was sporting a serious case of bruising down her cheek and grazing down her shoulder and the back of her arm which her chiffon shirt failed to cover up. He had asked Killian what happened to Mina later that day, but he had merely replied that she had taken a fall. Jackson was arguably the most absent as he was always going to the Cherry Hill Temple, prompting Darien to ask if he and Raye were together. This was met with a resigned sigh from Jackson and a shake of the head. Darien did not question him further, but the response felt off to him. Zane took a few days out of swimming after he sustained an injury to his arm, though he gave no explanation for how he seemed to have what looked like bite marks down his arm. He just gave a shrug and said he would be back at it soon then announced that Amy would be a guest swimmer in the high school training session that week, putting paid to that conversation. He had bumped into Amy when she visited the high school for her advanced programme class, and he asked after Serena. She explained her absence away by claiming that she was visiting family for a little while in Osaka. Her reply left no opening for further questioning.

It was strange, he mused, that he could be surrounded by people everyday but feel so completely cut off from them and everything. His midnight blue eyes continued to stare into the face of the moon and he just _knew _that he was being lied to. Serena was no more in Osaka than he was king of the Moon.

_Darien!_

Yes, he heard her. It was her voice in the wind. Yet he knew he was the only one who could hear his name. He did not dare voice what he heard in his dreams and how his dreams continued to haunt him when he was wide awake and alone with his thoughts.

_“I imagine myself in situations where I’m perfectly content and at peace.”_

He perfectly recalled those words that Serena once said to him after he confessed that he did not sleep well. He often wondered what situation gave her such contentment to make her feel safe. He sometimes dared to think that he had a part to play in the world that made her warm. She was right. There was no better feeling. He was just missing it with her absence playing heavily in the world he was living in now.

***

Raye was all too aware of Jackson’s fingers clasping her own gently as they sat in quiet meditation in sukhasana, or the easy cross-legged seat. She was uncertain about adopting such a mindful approach to her meditation. Her meditation in front of the great fire was more about letting go of her mind to let in the minds and feelings of others, allowing her to see of the world that others cannot, giving way for her precognitive abilities. But this was precisely what Jackson called the problem. She never allowed herself to breathe for her and her alone, allowing her own thoughts and feelings to come to the forefront, letting her deal with what her brain needed to process. Like her nature as the soldier of war or as Jackson reminded her, more importantly as the guardian of flame and passion.

“I can’t do it!” she exclaimed, releasing her hands from his grasp in frustration.

“Yes, you can,” Jackson replied without hesitation.

She scowled at him.

“We’ve been practicing meditation for a week now and I’m still no better than I was!” she argued, raking her fingers through her long raven locks. “Look, I appreciate your offer to help but maybe you should just go.”

“And what? Leave you with the nightmares?”

Raye’s violet eyes shot to his face and when they met his grey eyes, she looked away.

“Raye, I know you’re expecting a different reaction from me than the one you’re getting but the only one punishing you here for doing what you needed to is you,” he reminded her gently. “I’m not upset that my life ended the way it did, but I am upset that you clearly still suffer the trauma.” Her eyes met his face at his use of the word ‘trauma’. She frowned. “We’ve been practicing one week, Raye. Do you really think the world was made in a day? No. I _know _you have patience in waves, so why can’t you exercise it here?”

Raye bit her lip and looked down, unable to find the words to express what she was feeling. She loved him more than she could bare and that was precisely what was making this so hard. Sometimes it felt like there was a very fine line between love and grief and it only took the faintest breeze to push her over it.

Suddenly, she was aware of the sound of birds singing, and a warmth on her skin that she had not felt a moment ago. She heard the faint trickle of water that sounded like something you could only dream about in a fantasy. There was a wind blowing that caused the rustle of leaves, blowing the fragrance of something familiar… She looked up. White Casablanca lilies. They were everywhere. Not only that, but she was no longer standing in the shrine. She was stood in a vast garden full of the fragrant lilies and wildflowers, large trees with the greenest of leaves, and a green lawn to luscious that she felt the urge to walk over it barefooted. In the distance, she could see a waterfall big enough to be believed to be homed in the quaintest of forests but small enough to be here in this very garden. There was a bench located at the end of the grassed lane that ran between the flowered borders. A part of her brain was telling her that this was a ridiculous situation to find herself in, but she wanted to be here. She took a step forward, then another and another, spotting a small lizard leaping in and out the wildlife on the ground. She smiled at the sight. Everything about this was things that she loved, and it felt like a haven. She continued her way down the grassy lane until she reached the bench and sat down, casting her eyes over the sights before her. She sat back, raising her face to the sun with her eyes closed, the faintest of smiles at her lips.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Jackson’s whispered voice cut through the sounds of nature around her.

He admired the subtle lavender tint to her eyelids, the delicate blush on her cheeks, her dark eyelashes. She had so much beauty that she did not see it herself. She opened her eyes and glanced to her side to find him there. For some reason, it surprised her.

“Peace,” he clarified. He observed the tiredness in her eyes as he read the confirmation in her face. “You can have this, you know.”

Then she realised why her mind was so foggy.

“I’m not really here, am I?”

“An illusion,” he confirmed with a nod. “I never thought I’d find a way to use that particular ability out of evil hands. It seems you can be a bit of a muse.”

Raye sighed.

“You helped me forget,” she said.

“No,” he corrected. “No. I just showed you the beauty that you forget to appreciate. The things you love. The things that make you Raye. It is not about being a sailor guardian or having magical abilities or being extraordinary. We are all more than that. I just… feel like you forget that sometimes. It’s okay to get lost in your own world.”

She listened to him silently, letting the heat of the sun warm her skin and soothe her. She did not know how to reply but she knew he was right. She felt like she had her mind in multiple worlds and none of them were her own. She felt his fingers find her hand and entwine with hers. She felt her heart palpate at his touch and resume its normal rhythm.

“Meditate with me,” he invited.

She looked to the side at him, feeling the safety he offered in the hand he held hers with. The heat of the sun, the whistling of the birds, the gentle breeze, the fragrance of the flowers, the scuttling of the small lizards… it all seemed to invite her to close her eyes and clear her mind. And open her heart to even the possibility of love.

***

Zane looked at Amy over the top of his book and felt the frustration well up from deep inside him again. He let out a lungful of air and clutched his book harder, unable to take in anything more from the pages. He brushed the heel of his hand across his forehead, pushing some loose blonde strands of hair away from his face that had come loose from his hairband that tied his hair at the nape of his neck.

“If you sigh anymore, you’re in danger of starting a tornedo in the library,” Amy commented.

“Amy, how have you not noticed that I’ve been quietly stewing for the past few days?”

Amy closed her book and put it down on the table. Her azure eyes resolved, and she sat back, looking at him patiently. She raised her eyebrows to allow him to go ahead.

“Are we not going to talk about it at all?”

“What exactly?”

“Don’t give me that,” he objected, shaking his head in annoyance. “You know exactly what I mean.”

It was Amy’s turn to sigh.

“Look, Zane,” she hesitated. She inhaled sharply. “This is awkward. I do not do well with people, emotions or relationships. To be honest, I have never really had to deal with any of them. You and I… we never had a story of our own. Darien and Serena. They are the living definition of an epic love story. Mina and Killian embraced their romance but kept it to themselves. Neal and Lita have always been a question mark to others but not to themselves. Raye is difficult and complicated, and Jackson is learning that. But you and I… we did not even get a moment in the Silver Millennium. How can we talk about something that never had a chance?”

“How about you start _giving _it a chance?” Zane suggested, folding his arms across his chest.

Amy shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

“We need to help Serena and Darien,” she replied weakly.

“And we are,” he retorted. “But I can’t keep going through this with you. You’re right, we never had a story of our own to remember. But you _remember_ the feeling, as do I. It’s been a week since you learned how to be rid of the Croatoan, and that came at a cost neither of us expected.” He pressed his lips together, raising his eyes to the ceiling. “Amy, you admitted that you _want _to let me in, so why won’t you?”

“You know why,” she said in a small voice.

“Right,” he laughed drily. “You’re afraid to. I get it. We’re all afraid of something. But you protect a lunar princess, act as the brains of the group and fight monsters on a daily basis, yet _I _am what you’re afraid of. What about letting in someone that can actually make you feel safe? Someone who loves you and knows you.” He stood up. “I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a welcome invitation to me.”

He turned around and left through the door, leaving her staring after him with her mouth agape.

***

Mina sat at Serena’s side, watching her intently. She couldn’t help but feel like there was something more going on than what they thought was keeping her in her comatose state. The silver crystal was certainly extraordinary, and it was a well-known fact that the silver crystal was an extension of the Moon Family. It draws on the vital life energy and heart of its user. This was precisely what had Mina sat here with Serena now. She narrowed her baby blues at Serena’s still form and made the decision to reach forward and take her hand in her own. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against Serena’s hand and meditated, allowing Serena’s aura to go through her. She felt Serena’s kind, loving heart and reached out to her through her birth right as the soldier of love and hope. She knew that Serena wasn’t in her physical body anymore.

Killian strolled into the shrine and on automatic pilot, made his way to the spare bedroom that Raye had moved Serena to. Everyday since Serena had been in her current state of consciousness, Mina had been here. Truthfully, no one understood what she was hoping to achieve as nothing changed but no one was going to tell her that her presence was helping, no matter how much Serena would have appreciated her presence at her side. He made to walk right into the room and found the door ajar, but it wasn’t this that made him pause in the doorway. Mina was surrounded by a delicate orange glow, her head bowed in concentration, her hands clasping Serena’s hand that was closest to her. There was a charged energy in the air, and he stared wide eyed at what he was seeing. He accidentally nudged the door with his shoulder, and it made the slightest of squeaks, but it was enough to rouse Mina from her meditation.

As soon as Mina opened her eyes, the orange glow around her disappeared and the power in the air dropped. She turned to him and smiled involuntarily.

“Killian, hi,” she greeted.

He noted that her energy seemed depleted, the pallor of her cheeks whitewashed, and the hint of tiredness dominating her voice. He crossed the threshold and kneeled next to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, brushing her bangs away from her eyes.

“Yeah,” she sniffed, letting go of Serena’s hand. “I was just sitting with her.”

“Are you sure?” he checked. “What exactly were you doing?”

“I was seeing if I could reach out to her,” she admitted. “I’m sure it was a bust.”

“I’m not so sure,” he disagreed, glancing at the sleeping princess. “You know when you transform into Sailor Venus, or when you use your powers that you exhibit that orange glow?” She nodded. “Well, you were glowing, like you were reaching her somehow.”

“How?” she frowned. “Serena… she’s not in there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she’s not _in _there,” she stressed. “It’s like she’s there but nobody’s home. I don’t know what it is the silver crystal has done but it’s not like I can reach into the recesses of her heart and pull her out or speak to her unconscious mind. She’s not in there, Killian.”

“So, you’re saying that she’s, what, brain dead?” He looked at Serena a little startled.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. She peered at him. “I’m sorry. Did we have a date?”

“I knew you’d be here,” he said, stroking his finger down her cheek to her jaw. “I came to get you, so you weren’t going to be late.”

“Oh, you needn’t come over here,” she scolded him. “I could have met you.”

“It gives me the excuse to see you sooner,” he replied, leaning over to kiss her sweetly on the cheek. He felt her smile against his skin.

“Come on then,” she breathed, feeling the flutter of butterflies in her stomach.

She got to her feet then immediately felt her legs go from under her and she saw the ground rushing up to meet her face.

“Whoa,” Killian exclaimed, catching her round the waist and pulling her down onto his lap. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I guess I stood up too fast.”

“Do you want to do date night at my place instead?” he suggested. “I can cook, and we can put on a movie. We can go dancing another time.”

“You just don’t want to go _salsa _dancing,” she teased, but leaning against him, nevertheless.

“True but you look exhausted,” he stated.

“Awesome,” she said flatly.

“You can barely stand on your own two feet,” he continued. “I don’t know what it is you were doing but it’s taken it out of you. We will ponder the Serena question later. She’ll only kill you if you exhaust yourself in the process of looking out for her.”

Mina nodded with a soft giggle.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “Come on, help me up.”

They both got to their feet, his arm around her body and they paused to look at Serena once more before leaving this question mark for another day.


	29. Chapter 29

“What do you think of this?” Lita asked, holding up a long green gown.

Raye turned around with a simple black skater dress on the hanger in her hands and cast her eyes over the dress. Then an amused smile spread across her face.

“Did you intend to pick a dress that reminds you so much of your time as Princess Jupiter?” she snorted.

Lita blinked. She glanced at the dress and back at Raye, turning back to the dress again with a speculative expression on her face. She contemplated the sweetheart neckline, the roses at the nipped in waist, the long-layered skirt that split in two above the knee, tumbling to the ground in a sea of shades of green ruffles. She momentarily pulled a face and put it back on the line.

“Everything alright?” Raye checked, pausing her musing on the dress she was holding.

“Yeah,” Lita replied, shaking her head. “I guess you’re right. I need something new. What about something like this?”

She picked up a bright blue mini dress, prompting Raye’s nose to wrinkle up in distaste.

“Sure, if you’re looking to star in _Pretty Woman_,” came the sarcastic response.

“Perhaps not.”

Lita turned back to the racks of dresses, pondering on colour.

“So, where are you guys going tonight?” Raye pried.

“Neal wants to go fine dining,” Lita sighed. “Hence the gown shopping today. Then he wants to move to the music in the lounge.”

“Fancy,” Raye observed, raising her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have thought that would be his thing.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure either,” Lita shrugged. “I guess it made me realise that we don’t really know the guys as well as we thought.”

“Well, they died before we got the chance to,” Raye said drily.

Lita gaped at Raye.

“What?”

“Raye, please,” Lita murmured, a pained expression on her face. She held up a maxi dress featuring a V neckline sequinned top with a flattering nipped in waist and frill detail on the skirt in pearl pink. “What about this?”

Raye nodded in approval.

“I’d try it on first,” she advised, “though, I suppose you have the height to pull off a dress like that, unlike some of us shorties.”

“Yes, I must admit I’m glad I can just about not need to have my dresses adjusted,” Lita smirked. “I’ll be right back.”

Raye turned back to the racks of dresses in front of her while Lita disappeared to the changing rooms and pondered between the simple black skater dress and a three-quarter sleeve dress that fell to above the knee. She decided on the latter and crossed the shop floor to pay. It was then that she heard a scream and she glanced out of the window, her violet eyes widening at the sight of a tentacle wrapping around a young girl, dragging her out of view. She dropped the dress on the floor and fled the store, disappearing down the side of the store out of sight and transformed into Sailor Mars.

“Lita? It’s Mars,” she shouted into her communicator once it connected. “Meet me outside. It looks like we have company.”

She rounded the corner and found two people passed out on the sidewalk, others fleeing the immediate area and a young girl in the grasp of the Croatoan, a boy tied up in more tentacles reaching out from the Croatoan’s chest cavity. The Croatoan’s mouth was opening, baring its teeth at the girl menacingly. Mars brought out an ofuda, held between her index and middle finger.

“Akuryo Taisan,” she cried, bounding through the street murmuring, “Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen,” and placing the ofuda on her enemy’s head, immobilising it momentarily in place. “Burning…” she yelled, rotating her left arm once in a clockwise direction, with fire gushing out of her hand. The fire condensed into eight balls of fire around her, and she then directed the fiery balls at the Croatoan’s form. The young girl screamed. “Mandala!” The balls shot out at the Croatoan in the form of fiery hoops, slicing the tentacles that took hold of the young girl and the boy being dragged towards the monster that had them, freeing them.

There was an angry screech from the Croatoan as it felt the pain of Mars’ attack but unable to react to it. Mars caught the girl and leaped out of the way with her in her arms, setting her down a good twenty feet away.

“Are you okay?” she asked. The young girl was unable to form words but merely shook her head unsteadily. “Stay here.” She turned back to get the boy to safety and in one bound reached the boy and kneeled down to see if he was alright. “Can you walk?”

The boy looked up and his eyes widened in horror. His mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, but his terror stopped him from voicing the words he needed. It was then that Mars felt a sharp pain down her back.

“Ah,” she groaned. She glanced back to see the Croatoan raising its hand again to strike her, the light catching on the sharp claws at the end of its fingers. Without hesitation, she grabbed the boy and pushed him out of the way.

“Jupiter oak evolution!”

The charged green oak-leaf blasts of electrical energy struck the Croatoan in a bullseye hit, taking off the lethal claws from the end of its fingers. Jupiter appeared at Mars’ side, pressing her lips together at the sight of the claw marks down Mars’ back, the blood seeping through her uniform. She helped her up and they leaped out of the way, her communicator already in her hand.

“Hello?”

“Amy, quick, remind me how you got rid of the Croatoan,” Jupiter demanded.

“Absolute honesty is the key to survival,” came the answer. “The Croatoan seeks secrets. If you give it yours, it will have no need to be there. One secret will do. It’ll be enough to get rid of it for a time.”

Jupiter thanked her, hanging up. She felt Mars shrug under her hold.

“I’m sorry, I have nothing to help you with this one,” Mars admitted.

“Seriously, nothing?”

Mars shrugged. They watched as the Croatoan strode towards them, moving in a ghostly manner, its robes billowing in the breeze. It produced its acid-like saliva and shot it towards them. Mars brought her hands together with her two index fingers pointing upwards. A fireball formed at the tips of her index fingers as she concentrated.

“Fire soul!” she exclaimed, the fire ball shooting forward, engulfing the acidic attack, promptly saving them from a painful fate had it come into contact with them.

Jupiter left her side and stepped forward, missing the errant tentacle that flailed in response to the force of Mars’ fireball, catching her on the shoulder.

“Ouch!” she complained, as she registered the pain in her shoulder where the tentacle caught her off guard. She shot her hand out, flower petals swirling around her. She spun around and cried, “Flower hurricane!” The flower petals, charged with her planet power, took on a sharp appearance, the light catching the deadly sting on their edges. They shot at the Croatoan, immobilising it in its place. “I wish I was normal,” she confessed. “I wish none of us had regained our memories of the Silver Millennium or our destiny as sailor guardians. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to be in love with someone who was influenced by evil, someone I had to kill in the name of my mission. I wish I could find a way to just… stop.”

The Croatoan gazed at Jupiter with unseeing eyes for a long moment, turning momentarily to rest its stare on Mars. Mars swallowed, looking away. With a blow of the wind, the Croatoan faded away.

Jupiter frowned, letting out a quiet sigh. She turned to Mars.

“Are you alright?” she asked. “Your back.”

“Yeah,” Mars replied. “Help me back to the shrine though? I should probably bandage this.”

“I’ll help you,” Jupiter promised, wrapping her arm around Mars’ waist. They saw an ambulance crew running toward them. “There are people in need of hospital care,” Jupiter informed them, nodding behind her. “We’ve done what we could.”

“Thank you,” one of the paramedics nodded. “Thank you!”

They continued on their way down the street, turning down a deserted street.

“Want me to carry you back? Might be quicker.”

Mars rolled her eyes.

“That won’t be necessary,” Mars grumbled. “Come on.” They continued to walk in silence, but Jupiter could feel the cogs turning in her brain. “Was that true?”

“What?” Jupiter responded absently.

“You know what I mean,” Mars said impatiently.

Jupiter sighed.

“A lie wouldn’t have got rid of it,” she said flatly.

“I get it,” Mars told her.

Jupiter looked down at her raven-haired friend, pursing her mouth, seeing that Mars did indeed understand how she felt.

***

The celestial light always looked warm to her. Standing in its heavenly glow, looking down at the marble planet, she couldn’t deny that this was home. She recalled how much she used to long for Earth but right now, she couldn’t wish for anything less. The moon was the epitome of serenity and she couldn’t ignore that she felt at peace here. The dominant part of her that worried for her friends and yearned for Darien was somehow hushed by something greater. She wondered if that something had something to do with the peaceful heavens that the moon provided. She knew that they were okay. She felt everything that they were experiencing but she was surprised to find that she didn’t feel weaker for it. She smiled at the colour the Earth provided. It was the only planet in the solar system that offered such a view, a vast array of life. The irony didn’t escape her that the one person who protected such a planet that thrived with life was unable to live his own.

Elsewhere, Darien tossed and turned in bed. He was faintly aware of the gentle breeze blowing over his bare arm coming in through the open window. In sleep, he pulled his bedsheets tighter around himself and turned over once more to settle down, at least in body as his mind was buzzing more than it ever was. 

_"Endymion, kill the princess," Queen Beryl ordered, looking down at the ebony-haired man bent by her side with her hand at his lips._

_He stood before her and said, "as you wish," turning to Sailor Moon and leaping in the air above her, drawing his sword._

_Sailor Moon leaped out of the way and brought out her moon stick, screaming, "moon healing escalation!" pointing in Endymion's direction, a blast of pure moonlight sweeping over him. She gritted her teeth in the effort to keep the power flowing._

_"It's useless," Queen Beryl stated, "you are not a full-fledged princess. Even if you use the Silver Crystal, you will not be able to remove Queen Metalia's dark energy from Endymion's body." She laughed, mocking her. "Stop wasting your time and hand me the Silver Crystal!"_

_Sailor Moon groaned and gritted her teeth harder. Then she gasped as Endymion jumped out of the flow of moonlight radiating over him, only to land next to her and swiped his sword at her. She was thrown across the ground, landing in a painful heap. She groaned as the moon stick fell from her grip._

_"Sailor Moon," Endymion said, summoning a black rose in his hand. "Die," he flicked the rose at Sailor Moon which instantly wrapped thorny stems around her body and black roses appeared at each twist of the stems, which then overwhelmed Sailor Moon with dark, painful energy. She screamed._

_"Darien," she mumbled as the stems disappeared in a flash, leaving her to fall to the ground. Her eyes filled with tears as he stood over her and kicked her, hard. She found herself dangling in the air, being held at her neck in a death grip, suddenly overwhelmed again by a powerful energy emanating from Endymion._

_Queen Beryl laughed, entertained by the star-crossed lovers. "Soon, the sun will be covered entirely by sunspots and Queen Metalia will be revived." Sailor Moon groaned under the strain of keeping herself conscious from the onslaught of negative energy penetrating her pure soul. "That's enough, Endymion," Queen Beryl said. Endymion threw Sailor Moon across the floor, awaiting further instruction. "Cut off the princess' head," she smirked._

_Sailor Moon reached for her moon stick. "It's no use," Queen Beryl stated. Darien raised his sword. "Soon, Queen Metalia will be revived. When she fills this world with her dark energy by using the Silver Crystal, she is certain to utilise its power to the maximum. Everything you have been doing will have been meaningless."_

_Sailor Moon's eyes widened, and she gasped, furrowing her brows. Images of her fallen sailor guardians flashed through her mind and she was reminded of what she was fighting for. She got up as Endymion raised his sword above his head and a bright light shone from Sailor Moon. She turned and threw her tiara at Endymion, causing him to grunt in shock. He fell to the ground, as did her tiara, leaving Sailor Moon breathing heavily._

_Endymion got up, holding his side, gasping for air. "Endymion has dark energy within him. You will not be able to defeat him so easily." Sailor Moon's eyes glistened with unshed tears and she stared at her brainwashed lover, gritting her teeth._

_He threw his sword over his head, ordering her to die as she yelled at him to stop. He then paused as she held the star locket out in front of her. "Please remember," she begged. "I am Serenity. In the distant past, we swore to love one another. I am Serenity of the Moon Kingdom."_

_Endymion frowned deeply, a great strain passing over his face. "Anyone who opposes the Dark Kingdom must die!" he snarled._

_"You are just being corrupted by the bad energy," Sailor Moon argued, unshed tears evident in her bright blue eyes. "Please, regain your gentle heart. I don't want to. I don't want to fight you!" Endymion's arms came down to his sides as he leant forward, closer to Sailor Moon. "So, please," she said, the star locket still outstretched to him. His hand came forward and touched the locket._

_Instantly, Endymion was enveloped by a bright pure light which caused Queen Beryl to raise her hand to cover her eyes. "W-what?" she exclaimed. Endymion's memories came flooding back: his time as Prince Endymion of Earth, his civilian life as Darien Chiba and finally, as Tuxedo Mask fighting alongside Sailor Moon. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees in front of Sailor Moon._

Darien groaned, frowning in his sleep as he dreamed. He turned over onto his side and sighed.

_A dark cloud descended on the Moon Kingdom, an army racing forwards with swords drawn, the significant sight of the evil being behind it looming over them all._

_“It’s terrible! It’s terrible!” the lunar cats cried, running through the crowds of people. “The people of Earth are attacking us!”_

_Lightning struck the palace grounds and an explosion drowned out all other sounds of the ball that was occurring deep in the palace. Buildings crumbled upon the impact and the distinct sound of the sailor guardians springing into action could be heard as they used their planet powers to defend the kingdom. Water, fire, electricity and beams of light shot back at everything that was came at them, but it had no effect on the evil that struck them. The impact was devastating but Queen Beryl relished in it._

_“Starting today, I will rule both Earth and the Moon!” she declared with delight, her fiery red hair blowing in the wind. “I will not allow anyone to defy me! Our beloved Metalia, this is the birth of the Dark Kingdom!” She raised her staff, a beam of horrific light filling the area, the deadly energy cackling in the air._

_The echo of cackling laughter could be heard over the sound of the screams of the lunarian people scattering in every which way direction. He looked up to see the Shitennou hovering over the crumbling area, the dead citizens and the panic, revelling in the chaos that they had rained down on the Moon Kingdom. _

Darien mumbled, gripping his sheets in his fist, his knuckles white with the strength he put into the action. He scrunched his eyes tightly, fighting against the nightmare. He rolled over onto his front.

_He squinted just a little way ahead of him, certain he could see a petite figure. He stepped forward to approach whoever was standing there but he was halted by a voice._

_“Darien come back to me,” a gentle voice whispered, almost begging._

_He recognised a long flowing gown that fell to the floor in delicate skirts, a bow tied at the waist, leaving the ribbons to tumble down the back of the dress. Long, long tresses of pale hair were tied up into two bunches, her face out of view as she kept her back turned from him._

_“You must remember,” she urged. “Come back to me. The Earth is suffocating without you. You’re needed more than you know.”_

_He was needed, he pondered. Why would she need him?_

_“A part of you knows that this is wrong.”_

Darien’s eyes shot open and he sat up, his breathing laboured. Serena?

“Darling?”

Serena turned at the soft voice to find Queen Serenity with a faint frown pushing at her delicate eyebrows watching her carefully.

“Mother?” she returned, cocking her head slightly to one side.

“You were interfering again, weren’t you?” the lunar queen accused.

“I was just watching,” Serena defended herself.

“I told you what consequences that could have,” Serenity reminded her, almost impatiently this time. “The prince and you share a telepathic connection. You could push the wrong memories into his already confused mind, which means he may refuse to accept his birth right as the protector of the Earth. You must be careful, Serenity.”

Serena’s eyes widened at the use of her lunarian name and bit her lip with a nod. She just hoped that he heard her voice. A voice, she hoped, that would offer him contentment and peace, as the love they shared offered her.

***

Amy shook out her damp hair from the shower and cast her eyes around the natatorium, easily spotting the long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail shooting down the length of the swimming pool. She pressed her lips together and dropped her towel at the poolside, carefully stepping across the wet tiles and jumping into the pool, the rush of chlorinated water giving her a little thrill as she felt the water brush over her skin. She felt her inner smile and pushed off from the wall and took off down the lane, her arms slicing through the water. She swam a couple of lengths and reached the deep end of the pool, deciding to come to a stop. She spotted Zane swimming towards her in the next lane over and her eyes flickered around the swimming pool, considering the other swimmers in the pool. She figured that no one was paying her any attention while they were swimming laps, chilling and playing with friends. She needed to get Zane’s attention and she realised that there was only one way to do it. She dipped her head under the water’s surface and shot her hand towards him, feeling the chill emanating from her hand as the column of water dropped in temperature. In her civilian form, her powers were significantly weaker, but it was enough. She watched as Zane felt the impact and he looked forward, his eyes widening as he spotted her. She swam back up, taking in a lungful of air, brushing her hair away from her face and turned right as Zane appeared at her side, also brushing wet hair away from his face.

“Amy,” he said, “what are you doing here?”

“Swimming,” she stated, as if that was obvious, which it was considering where they were conversing.

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said flatly, “but it’s Tuesday. Don’t you usually have your computer programming class at this time?”

“Yes, but I’m ahead in the curriculum and I really wanted to talk to you,” she told him. She blew air into her cheek, looking down shyly. “I needed to talk to you.”

“Okay,” he responded. She looked up to find his eyebrows lodged in his hairline. She shook her head. “Well, you found me, so shoot.”

She swallowed, already finding the words lodged in her throat. She looked back up at him and sighed. She shrugged.

“Look, I heard you,” she told him. “We both know that we didn’t get a story but it’s a story that I still wish had happened. I’m…” she hesitated, “terrified of being close to you. I mean love letters literally bring me out in hives. How could I possibly be close to you?”

“You can try,” he murmured, his cat green eyes seeking out her own sky-blue gaze.

She rubbed her lips together uncertainly, a wave of sadness coming over her. She felt his fingers catching her hand underwater and her eyes met his.

“It’s not an unwelcome invitation,” she whispered, just loud enough for his ears only.

“So, would you run away if I tried to kiss you?”

Her breath hitched in her throat and she pressed her lips together, looking at him uncertainly.

“No,” she replied.

He brought his hand up to her temple, caressing her softly there. She watched him carefully, licking her lips, hearing her heartbeat in her ears. He brushed his fingers through her blue locks, resting his hand in the crook of her neck.

“The beauty about our lives is that it’s no exaggeration when I say that I’ve literally waited a thousand years for you to admit you love me,” he said.

Confusion crossed her face as she considered his words.

“I didn’t tell you I love you,” she remarked.

“I can read between the lines,” he smirked, bringing his hand under her chin, running a finger over her lips affectionately.

“And what about you?” she breathed, feeling the thumping strongly in her chest.

She was starting to wonder if the butterflies in her stomach was going to make her fly out of the swimming pool with the force of the flutter of their wings.

“I gave you the invitation,” he smiled, his eyes softening, referencing the last words he’d spoken to her the day before.

***

The unmistakable sound of guitars could be heard down the corridor which only got louder once one approached Darien’s apartment front door. Jackson nodded his head along to the riff he was playing alongside Darien, both of them a guitar in hand. He’d forgotten what it was like to just let his mind drift. Music was a part of himself that he didn’t reveal to the world, including the guys. He was surprised when Darien reached out to him to ask if he wanted play music. It made him smile because Prince Endymion was always so perceptive of people. It was like a sixth sense he possessed. His empathy was something else. Their strumming came to an end and Jackson sat back with a smile.

“That was fun, man, thanks,” he grinned.

“No problem,” Darien replied, resting his guitar against the sofa. “I don’t know why you don’t admit that you’re musical. I really don’t think the guys would rib you for it.”

“Have you not met Neal?” Jackson retorted, raising an eyebrow. Then he shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just a personal thing, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Darien sighed. “I really do. Don’t worry. I won’t tell. You should swing by and we’ll do another session. It will make sure I practice anyway. I don’t spend near enough time playing as I should. Mina puts me to shame.”

“Mina is a stage hog,” Jackson corrected with a chuckle.

“Well, it certainly endears her to Killian at any rate,” Darien mused.

“You have _no _idea,” came the reply. Jackson reached for his glass of water and drank a long throatful then peered at Darien. “So, are you alright?”

Darien looked surprised.

“Sure, why not?”

“No offence, mate, but you look dire.”

“Cheers,” Darien laughed, raising his glass to him.

“I know we’re not the girls and talk about stuff, but you’d tell us if anything is bugging you, right?”

Darien raised his eyebrows, his hand pausing in the air as he made to take a drink from his glass.

“Just not sleeping, that’s all,” Darien shrugged. “No big deal. I go through these phases.”

“Alright,” Jackson said, letting it go. He idly brushed his fingers across the strings, letting the sound of the guitar fill the room with its vibrations. “Up to much this week?”

“Studying with Killian tomorrow,” Darien answered. “Then Neal wants to join me for a run the day after. And Friday, Zane invited me to a swim meet as he wants to grab a drink after.” He frowned. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say none of you wanted to leave me alone.”

Jackson laughed nervously in response but shrugged.

“We’ve been friends forever,” he explained. “It feels like you’re one of us. We aren’t joined at the hip, but I guess we don’t think about it like that. You’re part of the group now.”

Mentally, he clapped himself on the back for explaining away their overwhelming presence in Darien’s life. Darien frowned with humour and shook his head, reaching over for Jackson’s now empty glass and turned to go to the kitchen. He got ice from the dispenser in the door of his fridge-freezer door and filled up the glasses with lemonade. He still brought it in out of habit for Serena, another reminder of her absence. It pained him. He opened the fridge and brought out a plate of cake and opened his cutlery drawer for a knife. His hand halted when he spotted the old star-shaped locket that he thought he’d lost a long while ago. All thoughts of the cake had gone from his head and his hand came out to touch it. He picked it up and examined it closely, opening it up to see the perfect face of the clock that lay inside, the sight of the crescent moon and stars on the face of the clock. But that was when the familiar music started.

_She nuzzled her cheek into the palm of his hand, a delicate blush on her cheeks as she sighed contentedly at being in his company. She took his hand in hers and pulled him closer to her, breathing in his earthly smell. It made her heart sing. He was always awestruck by the ghostly white complexion of her skin, in contrast to his deeper skin tone. Her platinum blonde hair with the pearl barrettes clipped to the top of her head with the familiar and endearing buns that tied it back into two long tresses made his heart warm as he held her close against him. There was an ache that they shared and they both refrained from saying the words that scared them so much. It was coming and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to protect her. But at all costs, he knew he would try. He tightened his hold on her small frame and knew he would die to keep her safe._

Jackson felt a warmth radiate through him, immediately recognising the power of the Earth prince and leaped to his feet, the warmth shocking him. The energy called to him and he brought out his hand to reveal the Jadeite stone. The delicate jade shade of the crystal was glowing, and he could feel the energy’s vibrations. It was powerful. He could feel the other Shitennou stones reacting, and he knew they would be glowing with the power to, but why?

Darien clutched his head as he groaned with the pain that went through him. What did he just see? Who was she? Why did he feel an overwhelming affection and love for this person? He knew she needed him but usually this knowledge was only known to him in sleep. This was new. He’d never had such a vivid image of her before. It was like she was in front of him. He closed his eyes tight to stave off the migraine that threatened at his temple. He felt a warmth growing in his chest. It was hot. So hot. Uncomfortable.

But that was when he saw her.

_Serena slept soundlessly, without movement. Her eyes closed and her hands rested on her stomach. To anyone else, she was merely resting peacefully. But to his eyes, he knew she wasn’t. He felt it. It was like he was in the room with her… a room that wasn’t familiar to him, though he somehow knew where this room was. She was asleep in the Cherry Hill Temple, a place she knew so well, but he didn’t. How strange. Her breathing was shallow but steady and he yearned to take her hand and let her know he was there._

His eyes opened in shock and he stared at the wall. He was vaguely aware of Jackson’s presence behind him.

“Hey, man,” he exclaimed, “are you okay? What’s going on?”

Darien whirled around and stared at Jackson in shock.

“Oh, n-nothing,” he stuttered. “It’s nothing. Sudden headache. I was just grabbing us a snack. Want to join me?”

“Sure,” Jackson frowned, his eyes flickering to the locket that lay abandoned on the kitchen side.


	30. Chapter 30

There was only one thing going through Darien’s mind as he sped down the street, dangerously close to breaking out into a jog. He brushed the heel of his hand against his temple, narrowly avoiding a passing pedestrian. He needed answers. The lies were almost tangible in the air and he felt like it was a real possibility that he could choke on them. He reached the bottom of the stairs, staring up at the Cherry Hill Temple that stood at the top and pursed his lips. He had a strong suspicion that his attempt to get answers were going to be in vain, but he was determined. He’d never felt so determined in his life. He didn’t think that he could ever hold such strong feelings for anything, let alone someone and it was inconceivable that she was the reason he felt so strongly. Where was she? It made no sense that she’d vanish with no word.

He raced up the long staircase until he reached the top, hearing the familiar cawing of the resident crows. He cast his eyes across the temple grounds, noting that there was no sign of life with the exception of the crows tapping their feet on the ground, tempting their prey to the surface. He strode towards the entrance with purpose, peering in.

“Hello?” he called. “Raye, are you around?”

There was no answer. He frowned and entered the temple, moving like a whisper down the corridors. A flicker of light caught his attention, and he came to a halt, his eyes curious.

“You see?” Jackson’s voice rang out behind the slightly ajar door. “I told you that it just takes practice, and you’ll begin to feel better.”

“That’s the problem,” Raye’s voice responded. “I’m not sure I _do _feel better. I suppose all I can say is that meditation is… easier.”

“First step to feeling better,” came the reassurance. “Really, Raye. You’re doing fine. Your sleep is better now, right?”

“Well, I guess the dreams about your death are less frequent.”

“Very subtle, Raye,” Jackson chuckled.

Darien frowned. What did that mean?

“Oh, you asked!” Raye snapped. “I’m sleeping better but I try to avoid pyromancy altogether.”

“Why?” Darien knew Jackson would be frowning. “You’re still using precognition, right? What’s the difference?”

“I was born with precognition,” Raye explained. “I can’t really control when I see what’s coming. But pyromancy is a talent that is honed and perfected over time. It takes a great deal of concentration, and involves fire, of course. I try to avoid seeing things in the flames.” There was a short pause. “Obviously.”

“I’m sorry.”

Silence followed and it was uncomfortable to be experiencing second hand. Darien pondered whether he should knock when conversation started up again.

“How’s your back?”

“No worse than Lita’s shoulder,” Raye sighed.

“You’re lying,” Jackson accused. “Come on, show me. You look uncomfortable.”

“Why on earth would I show you?”

Darien could hear the exasperation in her voice.

“Because you can’t perform a full-on _Exorcist _twist to look at your own injuries,” Jackson said, his voice giving away the smirk that was on inevitably on his face.

“It’s nothing,” she shrugged it off. “I’m healing. Amy has already taken a look at it.”

“Raye…”

“Don’t push it, Jack.”

Darien figured now was a good time to interrupt before the argument started. He knocked firmly on the door.

“Erm come in?”

Darien opened the door and flicked his eyes between Raye and Jackson who were sat on the floor in a cross-legged position facing each other, the great fire flickering next to them.

“Hi,” he greeted them uncertainly. “I called but no one answered.”

“Sorry,” Raye apologised, getting to her feet, looking alarmed. “We’ve been back here the whole time and Grandpa and Chad are still away.”

“Let me guess, Osaka?” Darien replied tartly.

“Excuse me?” Raye frowned, cocking her head to one side.

“Where’s Serena?” he asked, his eyes flickering to Jackson for a moment and back to Raye who was now staring at him with her mouth agape.

“Amy told you where she is,” she replied, folding her arms across her chest.

“Except why would Serena disappear without a word?” Darien demanded. “I was helping her with her studies. I know she hates it, but I seriously doubt she’d flee the district for this long when she has school, _and _her family are still at home. I’ve seen them.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Darien,” Raye said flatly.

Darien shook his head, looking again at Jackson who remained silent, watching the exchange.

“How about the truth?” he suggested. “I know I’m being lied to. What I’m not clear on is why.”

“Serena just has some stuff going on,” Raye shrugged. “I didn’t realise that you two were close enough for you to be privy to the details.”

That stopped Darien short.

“Look, I’m concerned,” Darien tried. “And I don’t like the strong suspicion that I’m being lied to. I feel like she’s in trouble and I don’t know why.”

Raye narrowed her eyes and looked away.

“She’s fine, Darien,” Raye insisted, looking at Jackson.

Jackson got to his feet.

“Look mate,” he said gently, “why don’t we just go and cool off? Nothing weird is going on.”

“Cool off?” Darien echoed.

“There’s no need to be concerned,” he assured him.

Darien looked between them with a shake of his head.

“And what was this earlier with the talk about nightmares of your boyfriend’s death, exercising magical powers and mysterious injuries that you all seem to acquire?” Darien pressed.

Raye’s violet eyes bulged out of her head and she looked at Jackson in disbelief.

“You were earwigging at the door?” she accused.

“It wasn’t intentional,” Darien excused himself. “I didn’t want to interrupt so…”

“So, you eavesdropped instead,” Raye finished for him, continuing. “Number one, he is not my boyfriend. Number two, my sleep is none of your business and it’s just a dream. Number three, I’m a priestess. We exercise lots of practices here. Number four, there’s no mystery. We had an accident at the mall.”

Darien’s hard gaze didn’t soften, and he pressed his lips together into a fine line.

“I will find out what’s going on here,” and with that he turned and swept out of the room.

Raye immediately turned-on Jackson.

“Well, thanks for the help!” she fumed.

“What did you want me to do?” Jackson appealed to her. “Something has clearly revved him up and he knows something is going on.”

“Yes, about that, what’s the deal?”

“What do you mean?”

“He said that he feels like she’s in trouble, which for all intents and purposes, I suppose she is,” Raye elaborated. “Has anything gone on with you four?”

“Like what?”

“Like a power surge,” Raye shrugged her shoulders in exasperation.

“Hmm I guess so,” Jackson replied. He brought out his Jadeite stone. “When I was studying with him yesterday, this glowed. It was reacting to something. The guys said the same thing happened to them, too.”

“Oh, you idiots!” she exploded. “Don’t you see what that means?” Jackson shook his head, startled by her reaction. “There’s something dormant in him reacting. Something must have prompted a response. Didn’t you know that Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion shared a connection deeper than love?” She continued without his response. “The silver crystal and the golden crystal share a connection through their planet powers.”

“The Moon isn’t a planet,” Jackson interrupted.

Raye clenched her jaw in annoyance.

“The Moon was originally the protector of Earth, to watch over its evolution and protect it from negative influences. The Moon was the divine centre of the galaxy. Its power was limitless in comparison to the planets in the solar system. The Moon’s power was born of that planet power that was created on all the planets that the sailor guardians come from. This is why the silver crystal is so powerful. When Princess Serenity met Prince Endymion – which she never should have done – the powers of the Moon and Earth were connected. It’s like they became two sides of the same coin. What I’m saying is that this connection is awakening in Darien.”

“So, what does that mean?” Jackson asked, unable to think of another coherent thing to say in response to Raye’s explanation.

“He knows she’s in trouble,” Raye answered, “and she needs him.”

Darien stalked out of the temple and reached the top of the stairs, suddenly coming to a halt when an overwhelming pain went through his brain. He clutched at his head, barely aware when his knees hit the floor. He groaned.

_Serena lay still, her eyes closed, the vision of serenity. She was almost too still. Her pale complexion was the first thing to draw his notice and the second was the silvery tint to her usually vivid blonde hair. He saw the blowing of the curtains in the breeze coming in from the windows. The curtains were so familiar. He sensed her close by, almost whispering to him in sleep._

He opened his eyes, the migraine building. He inhaled sharply. Serena?

***

“This is awesome,” Mina rejoiced, taking a huge bite out of the slice of strawberry cheesecake that Lita had just this moment handed her. “I love it when Lita bakes. She makes the _best _food.”

Lita smiled with a good-natured roll her eyes and ate a small forkful of cheesecake herself.

“I must say that it’s a good day to be outside,” Killian commented, observing the pretty sights of the central park that they were currently having a picnic in.

“I’ll second that,” Neal winked at Mina, crunching down on a handful of crisps.

“What got you into baking, Lita?” Killian asked, taking a swig of soda.

“Oh, I’ve just always loved keeping my hands busy,” she replied. “I love the smells permeating the apartment while I cook. I love to make a home. Honestly, I can be anywhere and feel like I’m at home when I’m baking. There’s nothing as soothing.”

“Aw, that’s nice,” Killian replied.

“So, Mina,” Neal asked, turning to her, mid-chew, “you still singing?”

“Certainly am,” she nodded, swallowing another mouthful of cheesecake. “Darien doesn’t show up very often though.”

“Yeah, he said the same,” Neal mused.

“Well, I guess life happens, right?” Lita said. “I mean when was the last time we went to the Crown Arcade?”

Mina paused as she went to eat another mouthful of food and turned the corners of her mouth down.

“That’s a good point,” she replied. “I actually can’t remember!”

“That’s impressive,” Killian chuckled. “Usually, the Crown was a reliable place to find you all.”

“It has games and cake,” Mina shrugged. “Study buddies kind of takes over everything.”

“And saving the city from a monster we can’t destroy,” Lita chimed.

“There’s that, too,” Neal agreed, pulling a face.

“We should double date again,” Lita invited.

“Doesn’t this count?” Killian frowned.

“I put everything together and you all just showed up,” Lita said firmly. “This most categorically does not count as a date.”

“Noted,” Neal smirked.

Lita spotted the telling sign in his expression that he was thinking about their date the previous evening and she poked him hard in the ribs.

“So, how have you guys adjusted since being… you know, you again?” Lita asked.

“I want to say that it’s been weird,” Killian started, “but honestly, it’s like no time went by. I suppose it’s like gaining a chapter in your life without reading the script.”

“And you know, we’re really getting into the groove of our powers now,” Neal announced proudly.

“It certainly takes some adjustment,” Mina nodded, taking a swig of lemonade.

“I don’t know,” Neal retorted, “I’m really digging it. It’s cool to be myself again.”

Lita considered him silently, carefully taking a bite of cheesecake and chewing slowly. Mina glanced at Lita and back to the guys.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it, Neal,” she expressed quickly.

They fell into silence as they ate and drank what was left on the picnic rug. Then a scream diverted their attentions and four heads whipped round to look at the lake where they could see a disturbance in the water nearby two little paddle boats. Lita leaped to her feet right.

“Well, boys, embrace it because you’re needed now,” she said, already pulling out her Jupiter transformation stick.

The guys and Mina followed suit, reaching for their respective transformation stones and nodded.

“Well, it’s almost like its ears were burning,” Mina grumbled. “Venus crystal power!”

In their place stood Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter, Nephrite and Kunzite. They looked at each other in exasperation and raced across the park.

“There’s something in the water!” one of the boat paddlers screeched in horror. “What is that?”

Tentacles emerged from the depths of the lake and clutched onto the boat. Kunzite closed his eyes and disappeared, reappearing in the same moment in one of the boats. The couple in the boat screamed in shock.

“It’s okay,” he reassured them. “I’m getting you out of here. Hold onto me.”

He offered his hand to them and they glanced at each other, silently agreeing to his offer. He teleported them away from the tentacles reaching out to grab them. Jupiter watched as Kunzite set them down on the grass nearby them. She turned back to see Nephrite teleporting people out of the second boat, and she nodded.

“Awesome,” she commented, turning to Venus. “Would you like to do the honours?”

“Venus!” she cried, a dark coloured heart forming in her hand, spinning it rapidly, directing it straight at the lake with the heart forming vibration-like patterns as it propelled forward. “Rolling heart vibration!”

Jupiter raised her eyebrows as the heart collided with the water, the significant sound of the Venus attack hitting something beneath the water, causing the water to shoot everywhere, revealing the Croatoan gliding through the water towards them.

“Well, that’s not creepy,” she murmured.

Kunzite clasped his hands together, raising them to his mouth, wordlessly chanting, looking up and carefully bringing his hands apart in the shape of a dome, the energy almost sizzling in the air, then he opened his hands towards the Croatoan, an energy dome forming around it.

“Nice,” Nephrite complimented.

Jupiter and Venus cocked their heads to one side as they peered at the Croatoan who simply stood there, making no effort to break free.

“Huh,” Nephrite said, “what now?”

They watched as the Croatoan walked forwards silently, passing through the energy dome that once upon a time had kept the sailor guardians captive when the Shitennou were working for the Dark Kingdom on Earth.

“Damn,” he said, crossing his arms across each other in front of his chest, forming multiple balls of light to form around him which then orbited in circles like a planetary rotation. The energy built up in the starlight attack, firing them like missiles at the Croatoan. “Seriously?” he exclaimed as each projectile hit the Croatoan, merely halting its advances.

Jupiter brought her hands together, as the antenna in her tiara collected the electricity that sizzled in the air, she pulled her hands apart, a disc of white lightning appearing in her grasp.

“Sparkling wide pressure!” she yelled, hurling the ball of electricity at the Croatoan.

She smirked as the energy brought it to a more effective halt and she spotted Nephrite narrowing his eyes at her.

“We need to get rid of it before it hurts anyone,” Venus urged. “That won’t hold it for long.”

“Well… does anyone have any secrets to reveal?” Jupiter asked, glancing at the guys.

“What do we have to reveal?” Kunzite shrugged. “We’re not living a lie anymore.”

“You could reveal you love _The Notebook_,” Venus suggested.

“Ha, ha,” Kunzite responded sarcastically. “It’s bad enough you force me to watch that movie, now you mock me with it?”

Jupiter suddenly leaped through the air, crashing into a nearby high schooler who was in the direct line of the Croatoan’s acid-like saliva. Jupiter groaned as she hit the ground, the teenager paralysed in shock. Nephrite shot across the gardens, kneeling down to their level.

“Are you okay?” He helped the young lad up off the ground. “You’re okay. Go on, leave the park and go home. We’ll be taking care of this. You’re safe.” He watched as the young teen looked back at Jupiter who was clutching her leg. “Go,” he urged, pushing him none-too-gently.

He turned back to Jupiter.

“Ju?”

“Oh, shit,” she groaned again. She looked down at her leg. “The son of a… I got caught.”

He watched as her skin lost its usual colour, the redness growing and the irritation obvious.

“We’ll take you to Mercury,” he told her. “It looks like it was just a brush.”

A blast echoed round the park and Kunzite leaped back out of the way as smoke started to clear in the immediate area.

“I suppose it’s down to me,” Venus sighed, removing the chain from around her waist. “Venus love my chain!” The Venus chain whipped round the Croatoan, holding it in place. “Kunzite, grab this!”

He jumped forward to take hold of the chain, pulling it taut, as Venus raced across the green, leaping through the air and shot her leg out as she performed the Sailor V kick, knocking the Croatoan back.

“Before I moved from England, I was fighting as Sailor V,” she revealed. “I met someone from my past on Venus and as he died, he predicted that my love would be doomed for an eternity. When we were reborn this time, I shamelessly dated many guys, but something was always wrong. When I learned that Kunzite was in fact alive, I raced over to see him because I don’t know when this prediction would come true.”

The Croatoan stood perfectly still, blindly staring at her. Venus frowned as she stared it watching her. She turned to the others who shared the same expressions on their faces. She turned back right as the Croatoan pierced her in the neck and she felt herself sharply inhale. She had a sudden vision of the Moon Kingdom and then she fell to the floor in a heap on the ground as the Croatoan faded in the breeze.

“Mina!” Kunzite gasped, letting go of the Venus chain which faded as Mina’s transformation was let go. He fell to his knees, pulling her onto his lap, holding her. “Mina?”

_Mina opened her eyes and blinked at the unfamiliar glow. Though at the same time, it was so familiar, it was like being at home. She glanced up, immediately recognising the crescent moon on the top of the turrets of the Moon Castle that shone bright like crystal._

_“Hello, Mina.”_

_She turned to see Serena, looking every inch the Princess Serenity of the Silver Millennium and she smiled._

***

Darien stepped out of the shower and ran his fingers through his hair. He hummed along to the radio he had playing in his bedroom and strode through his apartment to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. He sighed as once again he ran his fingers over the star locket. There was something calling out to him in the cosmos and he couldn’t understand why or how. This locket felt like the key to something. It reminded him so much of her, yet he couldn’t recall that she had ever seen it, let alone had it in her possession. He downed the rest of the glass and walked back to his bathroom, noting that the steam had thinned out in the air. He rubbed the mirror down so that he could see himself in it and threw water over his face.

_Serena smiled at the sight of him. There wasn’t anything about him that still didn’t take her breath away and it had been a thousand years since she first caught sight of him on Earth. Not a day went by when she didn’t regret that decision. And it was that thought that prompted her desire to reach out to him now. She looked down at her hands that held the silver crystal, and she closed her eyes, focusing her concentration on the powers of the moon, feeling the weak connection with the Earth. But that connection was enough because she felt it respond._

Darien felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the shower and he reached over for a towel, patting his face dry. He let out a lungful of air and opened his eyes to look in the mirror. His eyebrows raised and his eyes widened at the sight he found in the mirror. He rubbed his eyes to clear his head and looked again, but she was still there.

“Serena?” he asked in disbelief.

“I’ve missed you,” she told him.

“No,” he shook his head, “you’re…”

“Darien, we don’t have long,” she interrupted.

“Is it really you?” he asked desperately.

She nodded gently, a small smile at her lips.

“I swore that one day you would have all you need in life” she told him. “I thought I gave that to you, but the universe took it away again. Now is the moment to give you back some of what you lost.”

“I don’t understand,” he admitted.

“It’s no one’s fault that I’m not around,” she explained. “I’m exactly where I need to be. I just need you to join me when you’re ready. And you will be ready. You have everyone around you that you need to help you get there. Once you learn the truth, everything will fall into place.”

“How?” he asked blankly.

“It all started in the kitchen,” she reminded him. She saw the recognition in his eyes, and she nodded. “You remember.”

“Yes, of course, I do,” he agreed. “How did you know?”

“It’s more than love that keeps me close to you,” she intimated.

_She loves me?_

“How am I speaking to you right now?” he wondered.

“You have more power inside of you than you know,” she surmised. “It keeps us closer than you realise.” She paused. “And just so you know, you didn’t imagine anything you’ve been seeing. It’s real.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“No,” she replied. “It’s given me the chance to see you again.”

He watched as she faded from the mirror and he felt the yearning for her in his chest. He knew that the girls wouldn’t enlighten him, but he had a sneaking suspicion that the guys would.

_Queen Serenity watched her daughter with a sigh. After all of these years, she hadn’t changed. She continued to have a mind of her own, ignoring the advice of those who knew better. She worried that her interference wouldn’t have the outcome she hoped._

***

“Mina, are you sure about this?” Killian asked her, as they moved through the shrine, making their way to Serena’s room.

“Yes,” she insisted for the hundredth time.

“But you’re still feeling weak and we don’t know what that monster did to you,” he maintained, keeping his arm round her waist, supporting some of her weight.

“Look, I’m okay,” she reassured him, placing her hand on his arm. “I think I have insight into how Serena will wake. I just need to talk to her.”

“What will that do? She’s asleep.”

“You really don’t know what powers we possess as guardians of the Moon, do you?” she asked wryly.

“I suppose not,” he admitted. He stopped, causing her to fall back against his check. She looked up at him with a frown. “Before you go in, I need to ask you something.”

“Of course, anything.”

“Do you really think we’re doomed?” he asked her, his eyes intense.

She sighed.

“I don’t know,” she confessed. “But I was raised on a planet that thrived on love. I can’t ignore a psychic reading from a Venusian. The problem is that… our love was doomed. And now look at what’s happening.”

“What’s happening now has nothing to do with us,” he reminded her. “And we’ve overcome any obstacles coming our way.”

“It’s just a shame that we have more obstacles coming our way,” she sighed.

“Does anything feel wrong when you’re with me?”

She looked up at him in shock.

“No!” she exclaimed. “Of course not!”

“Leave the predictions for Raye,” he advised. “Just… be with me and let life happen. No one is dictating our lives.”

Mina pressed her lips, jerking her head towards the door.

“Do you mind?”

“Just tell me when you’re ready to leave,” he told her, running his finger down the length of her nose affectionately.

He watched her until she got into the room with Serena and turned to sit outside of the shrine in the sunshine while he waited. She crossed the room and sat down next to a slumbering Serena and she took her hand in her own.

“Hey, Sere,” she greeted her unconscious friend. “Thanks for reaching me before. Everyone always mistook you as a dumb blonde but you’re the strongest person I know.”

She recalled in her mind what happened after the Croatoan struck her down. She considered Serena for a moment and continued.

“I couldn’t understand why the Croatoan didn’t react when I revealed my secret,” she went on. “But then I remembered what Amy said: it’s here to restore balance to the universe. I’m the only one it could use to reach out to you because I’m from Venus. It needed love, not wisdom, intelligence, passion, courage, or protection. It needed me. I was afraid when it stabbed me like it had all its other victims, but I had nothing for it to take so it gave me something instead… and that’s when I saw you.”

She paused, rubbing Serena’s hand.

“Look, here’s the deal. We can study every sleep spell known to man, but I think we both know what’s going on deep down inside. You know that there’s nothing we can do to bring Darien’s memories back. We need his memories back to get rid of this Croatoan to restore balance. You know that if you wake up, you’re going to have to face that grief. And as someone who has experienced that grief more times than I care to count, I would never wish that upon you or anyone else, but the truth is, we need you here. Darien needs you. We all need you.”

Mina sighed, gazing out of the window.

“Something in your heart is telling you that maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder. You’re a smart girl. He definitely feels it and I know it’s bringing him closer. All the magic in the world won’t get rid of this monster but maybe your love will. He needs to find you. He’s the reason the Croatoan is here and he needs his memories. You have them, don’t you? I suppose I’ll know when I’m needed, won’t I?”

She smiled sadly.

“I’ll be here for you, Sere. And Darien.”


	31. Chapter 31

Darien slumped over the counter of the Fruits Parlor Crown, pushing his fists against his closed eyes firmly. He let out a huge lungful of air and gritted his teeth. The dreams that invaded his every sleeping moment were only getting more intense and he _knew _she was nearby. The lies coming from her friends, and he suspected his new circle of friends in the guys, were becoming increasingly irritating but also hurtful. What could there be to know that they wouldn’t tell him? He knew that he and Serena didn’t always get along, but he always held an affection for her that he didn’t always understand. There was something about the buns that pinned her hair up that felt familiar to him and eventually, he realised he was the only one who ever commented on them. It was an unusual hairstyle that he felt that everyone would get why he teased her relentlessly for it, except it dawned on him that he was the only one who ever took such a strong interest in her unique appearance. Then the dreams came.

_She _had the same hairstyle. And he loved her. He knew he did, deep down, though he couldn’t recall why he loved her or how he loved her. It was a mystery to him that caused a pain in his chest, almost like his very existence was choking without her.

He was losing himself. The previous night, he’d been sat upright in bed all night, staring into the darkness of his room. Serena told him that everything he was seeing that other people couldn’t see was real. His strong intuition that she needed him was correct. His instincts told him that he needed to protect her, but he was also the reason why she needed him. Why everyone around him did. It was never talked about but everyone in the district was aware of the strange attacks and hospitalised victims with no explanation of their comatose status. But he knew better. She told him he would learn the truth in time, and he had everyone around him that he needed to learn the truth. Except everyone around him was lying. It only occurred to him in the first hour of the night in his occupation of staring into the blackness of his room that he should be freaked out that he’d spoken to what he knew was Serena in his mirror. He didn’t even question how it was possible, only that he knew that he wasn’t going mad and it was okay. It was almost familiar to him, like she was nearby, and he drew comfort from that. Except he yearned to see her, safe and in his arms.

“Hey, Dare,” Andrew’s voice sounded in his ear at his side. “Are you alright?”

Darien looked up at his long-time friend and offered him a tired smile.

“Sure,” he shrugged. “Is it alright if you can bring me over a coffee?”

Andrew nodded and disappeared. Darien watched him go round to the other side of the counter and set to work to bring him the requested beverage. Darien rubbed his fingers against his temples, hoping to ease the headache burning there, the anxiety in his chest happily churning away in his chest. Why was her absence causing him this agony? He knew he was fighting the growing affection he had for her when he was helping her with her studies because he didn’t know what to do about them but now, he just wanted to have her with him. He felt like a puzzle with a missing piece to make the picture whole.

A steaming cup of coffee was pushed in front of him and Darien was suddenly aware of Andrew’s eyes burning into him.

“Go on, spill,” he ordered, reaching for a cloth.

“About what?” Darien asked.

“I’ve barely seen you these past few weeks,” Andrew noted, looking hurt. “And weirdly, I’ve hardly seen Serena either. I know you’ve been helping her study but what’s going on with you? It’s like you’re not here anymore. And if you say you’re fine, I will put that coffee somewhere painful.”

“Actually, Serena’s in… Osaka,” Darien faltered, frowning.

Andrew raised his eyebrows.

“Okay and you look unconvinced by your own random explanation because?”

“Well, that’s what I’ve been told,” Darien went on. “She didn’t tell me she was going, and I haven’t heard from her in a while. I guess it’s just bothering me because there’s no reason why she would vanish like that.”

“Family emergency?” Andrew concluded.

“What, and her family remained here? Sure.”

Andrew peered at Darien.

“What?” Darien snapped.

“You’re really worried about her,” Andrew observed.

“Don’t make a thing about it,” Darien shrugged it off. “It’s just strange and I don’t like secrets. The girls are acting weird and the guys hang around me like I’m their new favourite toy. It’s just a little exhausting.”

“Well, why don’t you ever swing by anymore?” Andrew accused. “We’ve been buds for years. You know you can hang whenever you want.”

“I know,” Darien replied, “I know.” He threw a throatful of coffee down his neck with a big gulp. “I’m sorry. I should have seen you before now. I guess I just don’t know what’s going on with me and everything seems so…”

“Weird?” Andrew finished. “I know what you mean. Everything does seem strange these days.” He pressed his lips together. “And you know, with the guys, they just seem tight. Maybe that’s just normal for them.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Darien nodded. “It was fine when it was just Killian. He’s like me in some ways.”

“A loner?”

Darien took a swipe at Andrew as he stepped back with a laugh away from the counter so Darien couldn’t get him.

“I’ve just never been so great with groups of people,” Darien shrugged. “Despite being so different, the guys and the girls seem to just _match,_ and I don’t really get it.”

“It was the things in Rita that weren’t me that I loved,” Andrew told him. “It’s not about being opposite or being a perfect match, it’s just sometimes you gel with people for different reasons. It’s the differences in people that catch interest, not the things that make you alike. That’s boring. No one likes boring.”

Darien mused on Serena’s spaghetti and meatball hairstyle and smiled. Yes, no one liked boring.

“Look,” Andrew said, “don’t worry about her. Whatever’s going on, she’ll be back with that brilliant smile of hers, demanding a milkshake and worrying about some test that will inevitably occur at school.” Darien allowed the much-needed laugh to pass his lips and took up his coffee to knock more back down his throat. “And about the guys, maybe it’s just how they are. You’re a cool guy, Darien. I would know.” He grinned. “On that note, swing by more. Whatever’s going on, you don’t need to talk about it, just let off some steam and let yourself have the space. You can be a loner here whenever you need.”

“Thanks, Drew,” Darien smiled gratefully. “It’ll work out.”

He said it with such conviction that he swore Serena put the words right in his mouth herself.

***

The tension was almost palpable. The drinks were circulated, and the cake was cut up into segments, waiting for someone to take a slice. Idle chatter was the theme of the meeting, but it only seemed to annoy one person.

“Are we going to cut the crap and get down to it?” Raye interrupted the flow of conversation around her. “We have a very real problem, and we need to talk about this.”

“What do you suggest we start with?” Zane asked.

“What about Darien?” she went on. “Why did he come storming around here yesterday, raving about Serena? What’s been going on with him?”

She pointedly glared at each of the guys in turn.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Neal defended himself, raising his hands in surrender.

“Well, you were with him last,” Raye pointed at Jackson.

“Look, I told you all I know about what happened with him when we were hanging out,” he shrugged. “Something must have jogged his memory.”

“Well, not enough,” Mina interjected. “The Croatoan is still at large, seeking secrets, trying to restore balance to the world.” She sighed. “If only we could be everywhere at once to protect everyone.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Killian told her, rubbing her arm gently.

“I haven’t been able to work out where it shows up next,” Amy mused. “There’s no pattern to its attacks so I can’t track it.”

“We did what we could,” Jackson murmured.

“Tell that to the man who is now in a coma in the hospital with the rest of the victims,” Raye snapped.

Jackson looked at her but said nothing.

“I’m interested to know how the Shitennou stones reacted,” Amy announced. “Can I see them?”

The guys looked at each other and shrugged, handing them over to her. Amy thanked them, immediately bringing her Mercury computer out and started tapping away at it as she mused over them.

“So, Mina,” Neal asked her, “how’s your neck?”

Unconsciously, she brought her hand up to the place where the Croatoan had struck her.

“I feel fine,” she answered.

“I think the more important question to ask is why it didn’t go after you revealed your secret,” Raye wondered. “Why did it attack, rather than go?”

“Well, it did go, it just got me first,” Mina corrected her.

“Why aren’t you currently occupying a bed in the hospital then?”

“Raye!” Lita chided her, exasperated.

“What? It’s a legitimate question!”

“It’s okay, Lita,” Mina assured her, amused. “Honestly, I was shocked too. But I realised it had nothing to take from me so it couldn’t harm me, at least not in the way it’s harmed its other victims anyway.”

“It can sense when people have something to take, so why attack at all?”

“Because it had something to give me,” she revealed.

A pin drop silence followed.

“You may need to explain that one,” Lita suggested.

“When the Croatoan struck me, I saw Serena before I passed out,” she divulged. Six mouths dropped but Killian remained unphased. “Do you remember when I told you that I couldn’t sense that Serena was really… in there? It was like her soul wasn’t with her body anymore. Well, after the Croatoan attacked me, I realised why: her spirit is in the Moon Kingdom.”

“You’re saying she’s on the Moon?” Neal frowned. “Seriously, how?”

“It’s not the first time any of us has been on the Moon,” Lita said. “It’s a planet power thing.”

The guys nodded slowly in unison.

“Why would the Croatoan show you that? And why?” Raye wondered, struggling to understand. “I’ve done countless fire readings and I couldn’t find this out. Why would this creature have this knowledge?”

“It’s all connected, right?” Lita surmised. “The Croatoan is here because Earth doesn’t have its protector. The Moon Princess is out of action because Darien needs his memories. She’s the only one who holds the puzzle piece he’s missing, and V is the epitome of love, the one thing that defines the connection between the two kingdoms of Earth and Moon. So, the Croatoan turned to the one person who can reach out to Serena to gain what she needs to help us get Darien there.”

Everyone stared at Lita. Even Amy had stopped tapping at her Mercury computer to gawp at her.

“What?”

“I think you just took the words right out of our mouths,” Amy stated, pointing between herself and Mina. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

“It’s simple,” Lita explained. “Mercury is the soldier of wisdom. Mars is the soldier of war. Jupiter is the soldier of protection. And Venus is the soldier of love. Moon encompasses all of our virtues as planet guardians as the soldier of mystery, the guardian of love and justice. Who better to reach out to her spirit than the Venus? It’s love that brought the Croatoan here. Love restored the universe to what it was before the Dark Kingdom almost destroyed it. But we started to remember who we were again, and Darien didn’t.”

At this point, Mina had managed to eat half a slice of cake and was slurping some lemonade. She simply shrugged.

“Well, there you go,” she chuckled.

“I got it!” Amy suddenly exclaimed, causing Neal and Jackson to jump in shock who was unused to Amy’s sudden eureka moments. She looked round at everyone. “The stones. They resonate on a frequency similar to how our planet stones are in sync with the silver crystal. Darien is the holder of the golden crystal, right? Your stones are in sync with his. Whatever provoked his memory caused your stones to react to it. What Darien doesn’t realise is that what he’s now experiencing is his fault. He is the reason why your stones have reacted so the golden crystal is trying to wake him. Obviously, it’s not enough but that explains the power surge.”

“So, you’re saying a memory came to him, the golden crystal reacted lending power to the Shitennou stones which in turn is giving power to the golden crystal so that it can help him wake up?” Killian fed back.

“Pretty much,” Amy shrugged, handing the stones back over to each of the guys.

Suddenly, they were alerted to the sound of the crows angrily cawing outside in the temple grounds. Raye immediately shot to her feet and fled the room. Everyone leaped up and followed her out. Sailor Mars was stood in the entrance of the grounds, gaping at the Croatoan who was merely standing there, staring with unseeing eyes.

“What the hell is it doing?” Neal murmured.

“Forget that,” Lita hissed. “Transform.”

Everyone did as instructed, and fanned out in the temple grounds, staring at the unmoving form of the Croatoan intently.

“What do we do?” Venus asked.

Mercury was tapping once again at her computer and her eyes bugged out of her eye sockets.

“It’s here to restore balance,” she concluded.

“Then why do you look so alarmed?” Zoisite asked.

“Because its recently fed,” she replied.

“But there’s nothing here for it,” Mars said.

That was when the Croatoan turned to her and she felt a cold sweat at the back of her neck. It stepped forward and Kunzite, without hesitation, blasted dark energy at it but the Croatoan seemed unphased. Jadeite leaped in front of Mars and shot his hand forward, knocking the Croatoan back with telekinesis but the force only knocked it back twenty feet. Nephrite raised his arm as dark angry clouds covered the sky and he brought down a bolt of lightning which hit the Croatoan bullseye in the chest, right as Zoisite conjured a shard of ice in his hand and hurled it at the immobile creature. The shard pierced it between bone but the Croatoan merely reached up and pulled at the ice.

“Remember, its immune to magic,” Mercury shouted. “Energy blasts won’t hurt it.”

Jupiter shot her hand out, flower petals swirling around her. She spun around and cried, “flower hurricane!” The flower petals, charged with her planet power, took on a sharp appearance, the light of the moon highlighting the deadly sting on their edges. They shot at the Croatoan, stopping it from moving, the shard of ice still in its grasp, though out of its chest cavity.

“Perfect,” Mars murmured. She brought an ofuda out between her index and middle finger and cried, “Akuryo Taisan.” She summoned a fire with her free gloved hand and surrounded herself with it, then she held out her other hand holding the ofuda between her fingers to absorb it and threw the fire from her palm. “Mars snake fire!” she cried, the fire shooting at the immobilised enemy taking the form of a snake. It opened its large mouth, the fangs long and piercing, the ofuda in its mouth. As it propelled through the air, Mars continued to chant, “Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen,” as the fiery snake collided with the Croatoan’s chest where the icy shard had left a hole and they watched as the Croatoan ceased to move.

“Nicely done, Mars,” Venus commended her.

“You can only fight fire with fire,” she smirked.

“Unless the fire bites back,” Mercury observed, tapping into her minicomputer. She frowned and looked at the Croatoan intently. “What the…”

“What is it?” Nephrite asked.

She held her hands up in front of her face, wrists crossed and cried, “Mercury ice bubbles freeze!” The temperature around them dropped to well below freezing, a thick fog covering the area in an icy misty coating. “Venus, I need you to release light.”

“Mercury, it’s cold!” Jadeite complained.

Venus collected energy in her right index finger, feeling the power of Venus flowing through her. “Venus, crescent beam!” she cried, releasing the energy in the form of a beam above her head, “shower!” The beam split into multiple beams and rained down on the foggy area.

Mercury gasped.

“It’s a time remnant!” she exclaimed. “That Croatoan isn’t the real one. It’s created a temporal duplication of itself. Be on guard!”

“I didn’t know it could do that,” Jupiter grumbled.

Then she screamed as she felt something wrap around her body and bind her tight. She heard similar groans from her fellow guardians.

“Damn, what’s that?” Nephrite stressed.

“Where are you guys?” Venus yelled, squinting at the fog, her hands bound at her sides. “Mercury, can you get rid of this fog?!”

“My hands are tied at my side!” came the answer.

“Damn, I can’t teleport out of this thing,” Zoisite grumbled.

“Same here,” Jadeite, Nephrite and Killian echoed.

Mars concentrated and summoned fire in her hand, flicking her fingers so that it surrounded her. She flicked her wrist and the fire absorbed back into her hand. She reached up to the bind round her torso and whispered, “Mars snake fire.” The fire shot from her fingers and took the form of a snake, what she now realised was a familiar tentacle and she heard a ghostly screech of pain as she released herself. “Guys, it’s here!”

She held an ofuda in front of her face as she muttered chants into the talisman. She threw the ofuda up in the air while simultaneously yelling, “fire soul bird!” releasing a fireball from her index fingers. The fire engulfed the ofuda, taking on the shape of a phoenix. The phoenix made a piercing scream as it hurled a tremendous fire attack above them, eliminating the fog.

“Mars, watch out!” Jupiter screeched, right as the Croatoan came up behind her and grabbed her around the throat as Mars turned to face it.

“Mars!” Jadeite shouted, his brow tense, as he watched helpless from his position, bound, unable to move in the grips of the Croatoan’s tentacles that had them all in its grasp.

Her red heels hovered above the ground as the Croatoan’s unshakeable hold held her up in the air so that her feet could no longer rest on the ground beneath her. She clutched at the Croatoan’s skeletal hand, unable to gain purchase on it to prise it off. Her voice was lost as its grip was steadfast around her throat.

“Guys, we need to do something!” Jupiter urged, struggling against her restraint.

“I’m too tightly bound,” Mercury cried. “The Croatoan seems to think she has something to give.”

Venus watched as the Croatoan raised its tentacle to pierce Mars in the throat and she knew that if it caught her, she wouldn’t be getting back up.

“Mars, the tentacle!”

Jupiter continued to struggle and her eye caught Nephrite’s as she watched him doing the same thing. This spurred her on. She watched as the Croatoan went to plunge its piercing tentacle in Mars’ throat, but Mars caught it in her hand in a firm hold. Nephrite released himself in a fit of strength as Jupiter managed the same. He drew his sword and charged forward, slicing at tentacles that came at him.

“Jupiter,” the soldier of protection called, shooting her hand out, the symbol of Jupiter glowing in the palm of her hand. Crackles of green electricity reverberated up her arm, the gemstone on her tiara lighting up, as she started to twirl around, then reaching her hands up above her head, pirouetting on the spot as the leaves of oak swirling around her in a column of energy. “Oak evolution!” The lightning energy around her charged the leaves at the creature with its hold on Mars in a blast of electrical energy.

In a shriek of pain, it released its hold on Mars, dropping her to the ground. Jupiter fell to her knees to check on Mars.

“I’m alright,” she croaked, allowing herself to be supported as she stood up.

“Mars, I’m sorry but you need to get rid of the Croatoan,” Mercury told her.

“Me?”

“Only you can. We’re all out of taffy. The Croatoan came at you for a reason.”

Nephrite plunged his sword back into the Croatoan who was recovering from Jupiter’s attack and was making its intentions clear to attack again.

“Now, Mars!” Mercury commanded.

Mars shot her hand out to the side, the mark of Mars glowing in her palm, flames coming to life spreading up her arm until the Mars Arrow materialised against her flattened hand pointing towards the monster fighting against Nephrite, the tentacles writhing haphazardly.

“Mars flame sniper!” she cried, releasing the fiery arrow which hit the Croatoan propelling it backwards and trapping it against the tree.

She turned to look Jadeite who frowned in return at the emotionless look on her face.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised. “I didn’t want any of you to know this, ever. But as much as I remember… loving you, and I still do, I hate you more than I can love you right now. I couldn’t understand how protectors and warriors could turn against their own and become enemies and slaves to an evil cause. I hate you for turning against the Earth and coming after my people, coming after me.” She glanced around at Nephrite and the still bound Killian. “I can’t forgive any of you for what you did when you were under the influence of the Dark Kingdom. It doesn’t matter to me that you were corrupted. Evil may take your head, but it can’t take your heart and you made a choice. When Queen Beryl fought against Prince Endymion’s love for Serenity, he still fought in the end against the evil he knew didn’t belong in his soul.” She sighed. “You abandoned us. You abandoned your prince. You were reborn and you were _still _loyal to that witch.” She looked back at Jadeite who was struggling to keep the sadness from his face. “You helped me to deal with taking a life from someone I loved, and you were that man. I can protect her now without that trauma fogging my sight. But I gave my heart to you and you spat on me.”

She felt the breeze graze over her skin, and she turned to see the Croatoan’s head lift and its unseeing gaze stared at her. It nodded its head once at her and faded from existence. She turned back to see the tentacles that bound the rest of them also faded. Jadeite shook his head minutely and turned, fading into the air as he left.

***

The guys stood outside of Darien’s apartment door and Killian stepped forward to knock purposefully to alert Darien to their presence. The door swung open seconds later and Darien gestured for them to follow him in. They all convened in the living room, sitting down on the two couches strategically placed around the centre coffee table in view of the TV while Darien perched himself on the armchair.

“Hey, Darien,” Neal broke the silence. “How are you?”

“Peachy,” he replied tartly, steadily pouring soda into glasses and distributing them out.

“What’s wrong?”

“How about we start with this?” Darien suggested, reaching into his pocket and throwing the star locket down on the table. The recognition in the guys’ faces didn’t go unnoticed by him. “By the looks on your faces, you know what it is.”

“A clock,” Jackson stated, sitting back with his soda, taking a drink.

“I will hit you right here,” Darien threatened. “It came from her, didn’t it?”

Killian glanced at the guys and decided.

“Yes,” he admitted.

Zane, Jackson and Neal all stared at Killian in surprise, not expecting him to own up to the truth.

“Why have I been seeing her since I found it?”

“Because it’s true,” Killian told him. “You’re not going crazy. It’s all true.”

“You’ve known all this time that I’ve been experiencing these… visions, or whatever they are, and none of you said anything?” Darien said but above a whisper.

“You weren’t ready,” Zane defended their actions.

“That’s not for you to decide,” Darien declared. “Serena, she isn’t in Osaka, is she? She’s at the temple.”

“Yes,” Jackson answered.

Darien got to his feet and started to make his way to the door. Neal got up and steered him back to his seat.

“You may want to hear more before you go after her,” he suggested.

“Why? So, you can lie to me some more?”

“Lies are what got us into this position,” Killian said.

“This better be good,” Darien cautioned.

“That locket once brought you back memories you lost in another life,” Killian went on. “I have no doubt you’re aware of the attacks in the city. They’re happening because of what happened in the past.”

“I don’t follow anything you’re saying,” Darien glowered.

The guys all collectively thought the same thing: they’d never seen him like this. The usually cool, calm and collected Darien Shields has finally hit his breaking point. And he didn’t know what to do with the distress welling up inside him.

“Maybe we should show you,” Killian hinted, nodding at the guys.

They nodded, bringing out their respective Shitennou stones. Darien frowned, peering at them curiously. They put them down on the table so that the stones were in a circle touching each other. The guys placed their fingers onto their stone and concentrated until the stone resonated and glowed. Darien watched in fascination as a hologram appeared above the glowing stones on the table. The first image was of himself… except it wasn’t any version of himself that he recognised but he knew it was him. He wore a long-sleeved dark blue bodysuit with a navy-blue breastplate, a silver piece of armour that guards his waist and lower back with extended pieces to guard his hips, navy blue knee-high armoured boots, and a black, red-lined cape that was attached to his silver shoulder guards. Wrapped around his waist with a brown sash, was a hilt that housed a sword that he knew was used in battle.

“Endymion,” he murmured, the name coming to him.

The image changed to a petite figure, wearing a white flowing gown with white shoulder pieces disconnected from her dress, an intricately decorated bodice with gold hoops, with the bust defined by a row of golden beads. Trailing at the back, was a white gauzy bow with long fluttery ribbons. She also wore golden spiral earrings and a golden beaded bracelet on her right wrist. But it was the blue eyes, long, silvery-white hair styled in two buns with flowing pigtails that drew his attention. He felt the love for her in his chest.

“Serenity,” he whispered.

The guys all had their heads bowed; their eyes closed as they concentrated. The image changed to show the initial meeting of the prince of Earth and the princess of the Moon. Darien’s déjà vu was born out of knowing this was real because he dreamed it. He couldn’t recall the memory that he lived it, but he just knew he had. He watched the horror unfold as the Moon Kingdom was taken over by the terrors of the Dark Kingdom. He watched himself die, then he watched as she used his own sword to kill herself. He watched Queen Serenity lock away the Dark Kingdom and send everyone to the future to be reborn. Then he watched his life as Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon’s attempts to save him again and again, and eventually finding a new life after she, as Princess Serenity, saved the world. The image faded but the guys didn’t move from their position, bowed over to lend their energy to their stones. A final image glowed, and Darien stared, transfixed by the sight of the Earth, marble and blue and beautiful. A dark cloud moved in to settle over the planet and he felt that same overwhelming pain in his chest which he recalled from his time in the library with Serena. It was like he was being choked. Then the image faded, and the guys broke out their trances.

“So, now you know,” Killian told him. “You’re Prince Endymion and Serena is Princess Serenity. You’ve been seeing her because you both share a connection which I’ve no doubt you’ve been feeling the more you’ve spent time with her. It comes from your own powers as protectors.”

“And you’re all… my guardians,” he hesitated.

“Generals,” Neal interjected.

“Or bodyguards,” Jackson shrugged.

“So, why did you wait until now to tell me?” Darien demanded.

“We couldn’t force a life on you that you weren’t ready for,” Killian said, pressing his lips together apologetically. He nodded at the locket. “_That _gave you a nudge and you could see Serena. The connection was made.”

“Why don’t I remember any of this?”

“Unlocking a memory isn’t like opening a door,” Zane explained. “We allowed you to look through the window, but we don’t have the key.”

“And metaphorically, Serena has it,” he deduced.

He knew he was right. Since she vanished, it was like a puzzle piece was missing. He needed her to complete the picture.

“We can’t be sure, but you needed to know,” Killian maintained. “There’s every possibility that you could be attacked and now we know that you’re open to the possibility that your life isn’t as it should be, you need to know.”

“The attacks on the district…” Darien hedged, “it’s because of me, isn’t it?”

The guys looked at each other solemnly. And Darien knew his existence was more than merely existing.

***

Serena watched his face with a heavy heart. She knew there was going to be a point where he had to learn the truth, but the truth was always harder than the lie. What made it sadder was seeing the truth and knowing it was real but not remembering it happened was the worst form of torture. She could see the desperation in his face, feel the hurt in his chest. It made her ache too.

“Do you see what I mean now, Serena?” Queen Serenity interrupted her thoughts.

Serena looked up at mother, tearing her eyes away from the Earth. She nodded slowly, looking up towards the sky, knocking any threatening tears back.

“It’s dangerous to interfere,” she repeated herself. “It hurts lives. The truth is harder to swallow than a lie. It may be cathartic, but it causes damage.”

“And secrets don’t?” Serena challenged.

“The truth is hard when you can’t marry it to what you know,” Serenity sighed. “Secrets are made to be found out. The longer you keep them, the more dangerous they are. With time, wounds fade and with more time, scars become a part of something that will make you beautiful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Without scars, what are we but a broken shell?” Serenity asked. “We wouldn’t have lived. Scars show our journey and whether hard or painful, it is the cost of living. Sometimes to be beautiful, we need to get a little broken so that we can be remade into something truly beautiful.”

Serena looked back at the Earth, her sight flickering between each of her sailor guardians and she stopped at Amy. She felt herself smile at the hope she found there. She was in the company of Zane. Every look, every touch, the hesitation she saw there wasn’t born out of resistance but intense feelings. She could feel the love there, the wish to be better. Amy was always the guardian to hold herself back, afraid of her own potential. And she found she was learning to embrace it, step by step with Zane. She was proud of her for that.

“Yeah,” she said. “Being beautiful isn’t the same as perfection.”

She watched as Zane kissed Amy on the lips, the hesitation barely present in the moment. Despite all of their faults and mistakes, each of them was still just human. She found Raye meditating in front of the great fire, alone. Her revelation about her conflicting feelings for Jackson was strong but there was no denying that it caused her great pain. You can make heaven out of hell, or hell out of heaven. The choice is ours. It’s shocking the things we call love.


	32. Chapter 32

Typically, Chad never paid much attention when doing his chores around the shrine, but it dawned on him very quickly that Raye hadn’t moved from the same place in the courtyard for a while. Even when Phobos and Deimos cawed at her for attention, she didn’t appear to hear them. She kept raking and raking the same patch of ground, sweeping up the same leaves into a pile over and over, then the wind would send a gentle breeze, blowing the leaves off the tidiest pile of leaves Chad had ever seen and she’d start the process over again. It was clear that Raye hadn’t slept the previous night. There were dark circles under her beautiful violet eyes and her usual vibrant skin lacked its usual lustre. Her long raven locks were tied in a loose side ponytail under her ear with the ribbon he once gave her so that she wouldn’t catch her hair on the flames of the great fire. She hadn’t once yelled at him or even given him a bad word so far today and that was telling him a lot. She lacked the usual energy about her as she went about her daily chores and her shoulders had a telling slump to them that told him that she wasn’t happy. This bothered him far more than he knew it should. He wasn’t sure if she would talk to him if he asked her if everything was alright. But he couldn’t help himself.

“Raye?”

She appeared not to hear him as she raked up the leaves for the hundredth time, so he tried again.

“Raye?” He sighed and strode over, taking the rake from her hands. “Raye!”

She shook out of her reverie and stared at him.

“What?” she exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked boldly.

She blinked, a frown appearing between her eyebrows.

“Nothing,” she answered shortly. “Why?”

“You’ve been tidying up this same area for the past…” he glanced at his watch, “20 minutes.”

“Maybe it needed that long,” she snapped, grabbing her rake in his hands but he wouldn’t let go.

“Raye,” he said firmly. “What is it? Something is bothering you.”

“Drop it, Chad,” she demanded, pulling at the rake in an attempt to reclaim it. “Will you let go already? I need to finish up.”

“No,” he answered. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

“What makes you think something is going on?” Raye glowered at him. “Besides, you not giving me back my rake that I will beat you with if you don’t let go.”

“Well, one, you haven’t slept,” he pointed out. “You look beat. Two, the crows have been trying to get your attention at numerous points this morning and you haven’t noticed. And three, you look… forlorn. I’ve never seen you look like this.”

Moisture seemed to gather behind Raye’s eyes at his words and she felt the effects of everything bothering her since the Croatoan’s attack the previous day. She wouldn’t cry. She never cried. She’d been able to compartmentalise her emotions for so long that she wasn’t sure if she knew how to embrace strong emotions. People saw her as having a temper akin to a nuclear explosion, but the truth was, she possessed a very gentle disposition. As a Shinto, she possessed honed skills and control which came from a strong sense of awareness and grounding. She felt emotions like anyone else but where Serena would cry, she would deal. It had no place in her life to react to everything that poked at what made her human. But this… this was too close to home. The Croatoan forced her to confront the very thing she wished to conceal.

She felt Chad’s hand on her arm, and she closed her eyes before looking up into his dark eyes. She offered him a defeated smile, the tears glistening in her eyes but never allowed to fall.

“I was forced to reveal a secret I never wished to come out,” she confessed. “It had to be done but I didn’t realise how much it would hurt until I said the words. And it wasn’t just me that felt hurt. It hurt a lot of people, but the problem is that I just can’t care about that. I can’t let go of how I’m feeling or why I’m feeling it and despite that deep down, I know I should let it go, a stronger side of me is telling me that I’m right.”

“Why did you have to reveal this secret?” Chad asked, noticing Raye’s hand had dropped from the pole of the rake.

“It wasn’t a choice,” she said.

Her answer didn’t invite him to push on the subject, so he tried another avenue.

“What was the secret about?”

Her eyes shot to his face, wide in horror.

“Do you honestly think I’m going to reveal a secret I never wished to come out to more people?” she asked rhetorically.

“I wondered if it would help to talk about it,” he shrugged.

“It doesn’t change the fact people got hurt, despite my reasons,” she acknowledged.

“That’s true,” he nodded. “Was it done with malicious intent?”

She frowned at him.

“Of course not,” she defended herself. “Never.”

“Then what can you do if you did something you had to?” he mused. “You had no intention of hurting anyone, but secrets are made to be found out. They have a way of coming out eventually and there is always a good reason why.”

“There was,” she murmured.

“Who got hurt?”

She pressed her lips together.

“Everyone,” she said.

“The girls?”

“They’re probably angry with me,” she admitted, “but I’m guessing the guys may be more upset with me than anyone.”

“How about Jackson?”

Raye’s face fell and the sombre look on her face only seemed to intensify. Chad almost regretted asking until she answered.

“He’s… he’s the reason why everyone is so upset,” she revealed. “There would never have been a secret for me to tell if it wasn’t for him. And now everyone knows because I had to tell and it also affects his closest friends and by extension, their girlfriends, who happen to be my nearest and dearest.”

“Can he do anything to make it right?” Chad asked.

He wasn’t sure he was getting the whole story at all. He knew she was giving him half of the picture, but he figured she was holding back. She always was.

“No,” she said resolutely. “Nothing can make up for that pain.”

“So, it was something he did,” Chad correctly surmised.

Her violet eyes flickered to his face and he saw that he was right. It was clear that she wasn’t going to tell him what it was though.

“I suppose…” she hesitated, “I want to move on and accept that sometimes there are things greater than us in moments of weakness. But I’ve faced weakness and I’ve always kept what is the most important thing close to my heart. He didn’t. I just don’t know how to forgive him. He should have _been _there.” Chad knew that whatever details she wasn’t revealing, she was seeing it in her mind’s eye. The glisten in her eyes was telling of that. “I know that I could never love another but at the same time, I don’t know how to love him.”

Chad considered her desperate face for a moment.

“In desperate times, much more than anything else, people need perspective,” he said. “For perspective brings calm. Calm leads to clear thinking. Clear thinking yields new ideas. And ideas produce the bloom… of an answer. Keep your head and heart clear. Perspective can just as easily be lost as it can be found.”

“Why does it sound like you’re reciting poetry?” Raye blinked.

“It’s something I was once told,” he smiled. “The head learns new things, but the heart forever practices old experiences. Maybe you need to consider that what you want and what you need aren’t aligning right now. What hurts is right here,” he said resting his hand above her heart for a brief moment. “But what you want is right here,” he then brushed her bangs aside as he gently grazed his fingertips against the skin of her head. “You may need more time to forgive but you don’t need time to love. And you have a big heart, Raye. Why else would I have fallen in love with you?”

Raye gaped at him, words failing her. She didn’t know how to react. He’d never said such things outright like this and she knew he meant every word.

“If he’s the one, you’ll get through anything,” he said, stepping back. “Bad things happen, and you’re entitled to feel the way you do. He can’t change that, his friends can’t change that, and neither can the girls. They’ll still love you. Healing isn’t a switch and he’ll understand that, no matter how much it hurts.”

He handed the rake back to her and turned back to stride across the courtyard to the stall where they sold all things charms, talismans and other novelties for those wishing to turn their luck and find their own inner peace.

***

“Thank you for coming,” Queen Serenity said, resting her hands in her lap graciously from her seated position at the head of the throne room.

“Of course,” came the replies in unison.

“You know what has been happening down on Earth,” Serenity stated. “Serena has been determining her link with the Earth Prince and I’m afraid this could have consequences for him. We should never force memories where the mind isn’t ready for them. We know that she is desperate to have him back, but a desperate mind is a broken one. She needs guidance, advice. That is where each of you come in.”

Luna and Artemis turned to look at each other, recognising the confusion in each other’s eyes when they met.

“You both were my advisors in the time of the Silver Millennium,” Serenity reminded them. “And on Earth, you resumed this role for the Moon Princess and the leader of the inner sailor soldiers. However, you aren’t needed on Earth. After Sailor Mercury first crossed paths with the Croatoan, I brought you here to wait for the arrival of Princess Serenity, where you’d be needed. The sailor soldiers had all they needed to learn what they needed to know about the Croatoan and why it was on Earth, but I knew that one day Serena would join me here. The prince is the key in all of this, and he’ll need her. She thinks she needs him, but she doesn’t. She needs your help to hone her powers and focus them. She doesn’t know how powerful she is, especially now her connection with the golden crystal is growing. But she will need control. Without control…”

The Queen trailed off, pressing her lips together.

“What is it, your majesty?” Luna pressed.

“Do you remember when I told Serena that she is Darien’s anchor to the Earth?” Serenity asked. The lunar cats nodded, and she continued. “Through all of his heart ache, she keeps him connected to the life of his planet. Without her, his connection to Earth is unstable and this is why he needs to remember who he really is. He can’t do that without her. But equally, he is her anchor. He grounds her powers and stops them from getting out of control. On Earth, she lost control of her moonlight.”

“Her moonlight?” Artemis repeated, stepping forward in curiosity.

“As an heir to the Silver Millennium, Serena possesses a particular connection to the moon,” Serenity told them. “As you know, the moon is the protector of the galaxy and in order to do that, its power originated from power of each of the orbiting planets of the sun. If she doesn’t have control over her guardian powers, she can easily wipe out all evils.”

“Is that not a good thing?” Luna wondered.

“Evil is not born, it’s made,” Serenity replied. “If she destroyed the darkness with her light, she’d wipe out everything that has the potential for darkness: all life.”

The cats turned to each other in surprise.

“And this is why the golden crystal is needed,” Artemis surmised.

The Queen nodded.

“The silver crystal draws on the life energy and heart of the user,” Luna murmured. “The golden crystal has its own emotions and feelings. Darien was and is the moon princess’ protector. His powers help her to use the powers of the silver crystal.”

“Without that anchor, she can die,” Serenity sighed.

It dawned on the cats the significance of their presence on the moon: they were there to help Serena, train her, advise her with no other distractions. But something else crossed their minds.

“What about the girls?” Luna asked.

“All who know of you currently have no recollection of your existence while you are needed here,” Serenity told her gently. “Don’t be angry with me. I’m sure the girls would understand that I did this to protect all of you.”

“It’s for the princess,” Luna reassured her. “We will do anything, wouldn’t we, Artemis?”

Artemis nodded in agreement.

“That will never change,” he affirmed. “Even after a thousand years.”

Serenity smiled at them in appreciation. She knew that Serena would have all she needed.

***

Lita carefully decorated a chocolate muffin with pink icing and picked up a second one. She glanced at Neal opposite her who seemed to be struggling to make the same expert swirl on top that she did so effortlessly. She pulled a face.

“Are you decorating that cake or wearing it?” she asked innocently, raising her eyebrows.

He looked at her unimpressed.

“You know that will only come back to bite you,” he retorted. “Why did you invite me over here to do this again?”

“Because the girls are busy,” she said as a matter of fact.

“Ah, so I’m second choice,” he teased.

“Actually, third,” she said flatly.

He stared at her, unsure if she was kidding or not.

“I would have asked Darien, but I believe he’s otherwise engaged,” she smirked.

Kidding it was then.

“Funny,” he said, rolling his eyes, turning his attention back to the muffin and iced his hand instead.

“Wow,” Lita laughed. “Well done.”

“Here, you do it!” he huffed, pushing the muffins on his side of the table over to her.

“You big baby,” she remarked, picking up the tubs of decorative confectionary. “Here. Use these to finish the decoration on top of the ones I’ve already iced.”

He snatched up the tub of 100s and 1000s and started to sprinkle some over the top of a muffin, right as a tray was pushed underneath his hands.

“I don’t want you to make more of a mess,” she explained in response to his stupefied expression.

Neal looked at his side of the table in comparison to hers and grimaced.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he apologised. “This is probably why you feel safe in a kitchen and I do not.”

“Correction: I feel at _home _in a kitchen,” she stressed.

“Is there a difference?” he wondered.

“Yes, I feel safe as Sailor Jupiter, but I feel at home with you,” she explained.

Neal looked at her with a soft smile at his lips. He leaned over the table and she looked up, realising he was going to kiss her. He pressed his lips firmly but gently against hers, cupping her face with his large, square hands. It was funny, she mused, that she could be so comfortable with him and yet, despite feeling like he had been in her life forever and will continue to be so, he could still take her breath away.

“I love you,” he murmured.

Before she could respond, he ran his finger down the length of her nose and pulled away to sit down. She frowned, reaching up to her nose and realised he’d spread icing right down to the tip of her nose and she looked at him affronted.

“Neal!” she exclaimed.

“I told you the kitchen wasn’t where I should be,” he reminded her.

“We’re in my living room, you dolt,” she said tartly. “You have no argument.”

She reached for a tissue and wiped the icing from her nose.

“Aw, I could have licked that off for you,” he complained.

She narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head.

“Maybe don’t say that to me the next time you’re with Jupiter or I’ll electrocute you,” she warned.

He flashed her a grin and turned back to the tubs of confectionary decorations and chose multicoloured sugar strands.

“So, have you spoken to Darien since…”

“Since we told him that everything that has been happening around the city is because he has no recollection of his real self and he’s the prince of the Earth in love with the legendary Moon Princess who he has been dreaming about for God knows how long?” Neal continued without taking a breath. “No.” He paused, pressing a chocolate star in the centre of the muffin. “I don’t think he really knows what to think.”

“I expect he’s feeling kind of lost and confused,” Lita said.

“Yeah, no,” he disagreed. “Lost and confused has been Darien’s whole life since he was reborn on this Earth. He’s likely feeling another sense of loss and a great deal of betrayal. We kept this from him. It’s a big deal.”

“We had our reasons,” Lita defended their actions. “After all, if we’d told him any of this before now, he’d have thought we were nuts!”

“As would I!” Neal laughed. “We don’t really live normal lives, whatever that means.”

Lita smiled, deftly icing another muffin.

“Lita, why do we need so many muffins?” he asked in exasperation, quickly totting up 48 muffins sat on the table.

“Study buddies,” she replied.

“You girls get through _all _of this?”

“What, you think you guys aren’t going to be invited from time to time?” she asked. “Ha! You’re hilarious. You guys will be making cameos. Different school or grade, we all still have tests and exams. So, I need to make sure I have enough. Serena eats like a pig.”

A silence followed her words and Neal bit his lip looking at her in concern.

“What?”

“You said Serena,” he said.

“Yes, and your point is?”

“What if she’s not around to eat half of these?”

“If you so much as even imply that there’s a possibility that she won’t be back soon to join us, I will electrocute you with such a high voltage that Zeus will feel it,” she threatened. “Serena will be coming back. She has to. She’s our leader. She’s the holder of the silver crystal. Darien has never let her down before and he won’t this time either.”

“No, I know,” he backtracked quickly. “It’s just… I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“What do you mean?”

“We never talked about it after Serena fell into her magical coma,” Neal said. “She’s one of your best friends. No, she’s more than that. And she had to go away. It hurts.”

“Of course, it hurts,” Lita sighed. “This is why I need this many muffins.”

***

Everyone was sat in the courtyard of the Cherry Hill Temple with the girls on one side and the guys on the other. The atmosphere was almost electric. Darien would be joining them that day as no one could deny him the right to see Serena. It was a terrifying prospect for them all to have Darien with them, knowing everything but not remembering any of it. The only thing real to him was what he saw in his dreams. But more than that, there was also tension between each of them for different reasons. The girls weren’t upset with Raye for her revelation. They could understand her feelings. They were upset for her though. Raye and Jackson hadn’t spoken since the Croatoan attack. Everything about her screamed that no one was to approach or touch her, especially him. The guys were feeling the tension, particularly on Jackson’s behalf, but they also felt Raye’s words strongly. It wasn’t a subject they felt able to discuss among themselves. Amy, Lita and Mina gave no indication that they shared Raye’s feelings towards their other halves, but the guys couldn’t help but wonder if the feelings existed on some level.

This was how Darien found them when he appeared at the top of the staircase leading up to the temple, looking a little dishevelled. He cast his eyes over the group and nodded at the guys, raising his hand to the girls in greeting, coming to a stand still on the outskirts of the group.

“Hey, Darien,” Mina greeted him. “Thanks for coming.”

“You didn’t think I’d miss this, did you?” he asked in disbelief.

“Of course not,” she replied. “We’re glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad to be here,” he nodded.

“This must be a little strange for you,” Amy observed.

“Something like that,” Darien smiled.

“It feels like old times!” Neal boomed, clapping Darien on the back.

Killian grimaced, Zane pulled a pained expression which was joined by Amy and Lita, and Mina looked between the Darien and Neal perplexed. Raye and Jackson remained silent, not reacting to the strange interchange.

“I’m sure it does,” Darien replied, a little taken aback. “So, how does this work?”

“It’s… just like she’s sleeping,” Mina assured him. “It’s going to be weird, I won’t lie to you. It might even be upsetting because a comatose state isn’t normal for anyone. I don’t think she knows we’re with her physical body like a coma patient supposedly does. It’s a little different to that situation. But I talk to her all the time. You can too.”

Darien nodded slowly.

“I’ll come in with you,” Mina went on. “We aren’t all going to follow you in, so that you can have some privacy. She would appreciate that you’re here.”

“Okay,” Darien responded, unable to find anything more suitable to say.

He followed her into the shrine, leaving everyone out in the courtyard. It felt surreal to be walking down these corridors where at the end of it in one of these rooms, Serena was lying there, just as he’d seen in his visions. Mina came to a halt at a closed door and turned to him briefly before entering, leaving the door open behind her for him to follow. He crossed the threshold into the room and stopped when he laid eyes on her. There she was, just as youthful and beautiful as he remembered. Her hair was out of her usual meatball and spaghetti style which grieved him. It reminded him so much that all was not well with her, just as he felt it. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was soft and slow but that was all the life that was in her. He stood next to her bed and sat down on the chair that Mina had whipped out of seemingly thin air. He stared at her, unable to make himself believe that he was actually seeing her, and all of this was real.

“It’s a shock,” she agreed, “I know.”

“Can’t you do anything to get her out of this… state?” he demanded.

“No,” Mina replied. She peered at him. “But you might be able to.”

“Me? What can I do?”

She shrugged.

“I’ll leave you to be with her for a little while,” she announced. “I’ll just be outside.”

Darien heard the door close and watched Serena. He hesitated before taking her hand at her side into his grasp and he held it in both of his hands. She felt cold to him. He didn’t know what to say to her. A part of him didn’t want to say anything for fear that it would be too much like speaking to the living dead. He was startled to find how much that scared him.

“Oh, I miss you, Serena,” he whispered.

He reached over to brush some hair back from her face. It occurred to him how alien an action this was, but it felt right to touch her. He wished so much that she were awake, laughing, even studying with him, her hair in the ridiculous meatballs that warmed his heart. He sighed, running his fingers through his ebony locks. He stared at her for a long time, just drinking in the sight of her. He knew that something wasn’t right. It’s like he could feel her pain, feel that she was not okay, like something was missing. Being sat here with her, he felt like he was whole. Of course, there was more to make him complete, and he suspected she had a lot to do with that. The feeling inside him was so strong that he couldn’t stop himself if he tried. A non-consensual kiss was never the way forward and truthfully, he abhorred the stories that he’d caught Serena reading about the handsome prince waking up his sleeping beauty. Serena was so much more than that. But in this moment, he knew he loved her. He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. In the moment that his eyes were closed as he kissed her, he saw her again. The princess in his dreams calling to him. He felt like he knew the gardens they were standing in, but it wasn’t an earth he knew. He could recall her sweet perfume and her gentle laugh… the way she pushed her cheek against the palm of his hand. His eyes shot open, and he gaped at her in astonishment.

She didn’t wake up but in that split second upon opening his eyes, he saw Princess Serenity, then the vision was gone and there lay Serena, just as still as when he walked in. But that was when he heard an explosion and a scream.

Amy, Raye, Lita, Zane, Jackson, Neal and Killian were sat in silence, just listening to the birds in the trees, the crows pecking at the ground, and the breeze rustling the trees. It didn’t feel appropriate to start up any small talk as they didn’t need any awkwardness right now. They just sat there hoping that something good would happen to help Darien and Serena. But you know what they say about hope: it breeds eternal misery.

Suddenly, the Croatoan appeared in the middle of the group and for a moment, it merely looked around at them all with unseeing eyes. Raye inhaled sharply as her precognition kicked in and she saw what was going to happen next.

“No!” she cried.

There was no time to transform. She leaped to her feet and dived at Jackson in front of the Croatoan, pushing him roughly out of the way as the Croatoan shot its deadly acid-like saliva at him, its tentacles thrashing in every which way direction. The acid caught Raye down the right side of her body, and she cried out in pain. She heard the soldiers all transform but she could see what was going to happen next in her mind’s eye. She turned, her violet eyes glassy as she fought against the pain. She watched as Jackson spotted her on the ground, twitching in pain, the Croatoan advancing on him. She found the strength to get to her feet.

“Jackson, move out of the way!” she screamed, as she watched the Croatoan’s tentacles reach out to capture him.

She didn’t hesitate. She stepped forward, grabbing the tentacles with her bare hands, kicking Jackson further out of the immediate space of the Croatoan and she felt the tentacles wrap around her instead. She watched as the Croatoan’s mouth descended on her, its razor-sharp teeth deadly and menacing. She felt the first telling signs of pain as it tore into her flesh on her shoulder as she attempted to wriggle out of the way of its mouth.

“Mercury aqua rhapsody!”

“Jupiter oak evolution!”

“Ah,” Raye groaned.

She saw a shard of ice pierce through the ribs of the Croatoan, a sword slice through the tentacles holding her and a blast of dark energy shoot past her, hitting the Croatoan bullseye as the sailor soldier’s attacks caught the Croatoan. She collapsed, feeling a pair of arms around her before she lost consciousness. Kunzite looked up at the sailor soldiers.

“We need to do something about that,” he exclaimed, nodding at the Croatoan currently screeching in pain. “Mercury, we need to help Raye. Now.”

Mercury was already on her way over, ordering Kunzite to bring Raye well out of the way of the battle so she could perform her ice magic. She was thankful that she’d found an alternative to the silver crystal as its user was currently unavailable. She found a way to manipulate the essence of the silver crystal and combine it with the powers of the planets to negate the negative energy of the Croatoan’s deadly saliva. Jadeite was stood with them as Mercury was working on saving Raye’s life, his face white-washed, his nerves shot.

“Kunzite, help the girls,” Mercury murmured, without breaking her stride.

Kunzite passed Jadeite and immediately sent out energy blades to stop the Croatoan’s advance into the shrine. Jupiter was sending out flower hurricane’s to immobilise the creature in place, but it seemed to be resisting their magic more easily.

Mina had heard the commotion and she didn’t bother to investigate. Instead, she transformed into Sailor Venus and crashed through the door where she found Darien looking through the window to see if he could see what was going on.

“There’s no time,” she declared. “I’m so sorry, Darien but I can’t risk you getting hurt, too. Take my hand.”

“Mina?” he questioned, considering her carefully.

“Yes,” she nodded. “Now take my hand.”

He looked at Serena and reached for Venus’ hand. Then the door was blown off its hinges and Venus whirled around to come face to face with the Croatoan. She didn’t hesitate.

“Venus!” she cried, winking to form a bright yellow heart which blew round her to land in her outstretched hand to transform into the holy moon sword. She moved it around her body until it extended to transform into multiple Venus chains. “Wink chain sword!” The chains wrapped around the Croatoan in a tight hold, and she flicked her wrist to release the sword from her grasp which flew into the torso of the Croatoan, blowing it out of the room and trapping it against the wall. Venus turned to Darien, her hand outstretched to him. “Darien, now!”

He took her hand and she turned to Serena, grabbing her hand. She closed her eyes.

“Venus power!”

Darien looked over Venus’ shoulder to see the Croatoan hissing and snarling, trapped against the wall. But then he couldn’t see it anymore as she light of Venus grew brighter and brighter until the shrine disappeared entirely. It was like he was dropped over a cliff and his stomach flipped with the vertigo. The next time he opened his eyes, he saw a sight he thought he would only ever see in his dreams.


	33. Chapter 33

A flash of light flickered and died. A moment later, the place was lit up again, and promptly went out. Then a familiar screech of frustration echoed around the grounds.

“Damn it!” Serena exclaimed, stamping her foot.

“Calm down,” Luna demanded. “Honestly, Serena. It’s okay. It’ll just take some time. Do you remember when we first started training when you became Sailor Moon?”

“Of course, I do,” Serena replied in exasperation.

“Well, it’s great to see you’ve matured,” Luna said drily.

“Oh, but Luna!” Serena whined. “I just can’t do it!”

“Can you kill the decibels?” Artemis wondered from his quiet seated position at the side-lines, his tail curled around him.

Serena glared at him and turned back to Luna.

“Help me!” she begged.

“Focus, Serena,” Luna said. “Every time you use Moon power, you connect with that power from the entire cosmos. Planet power is the single most powerful thing that cannot be corrupted. It is your birth right. Feel that light and harness it.”

Serena blinked, pouting her lips in annoyance.

“How does that help me?” she snapped. “That’s like telling someone who can’t drive to sit in the driver’s seat of a car and then drive it.”

“I told you why we need to train,” Luna reminded her gently. “So come on, chop, chop.”

“Fine,” Serena relented, shaking her shoulders in a brief shimmy and shaking her hands out.

She held her hands out in front of her, her thumbs and pinkie fingers touching in a lotus mudra. She closed her eyes, the concentration clear on her face as she tensed the corners of her mouth just a bit. Her eyebrows pushed together gently, and a ball of light formed between her fingers. She opened her eyes slowly to see the ball of moonlight and the tension left her mouth to push the corners of her mouth up into a smile.

“Great,” Luna praised. “Now focus it.”

Serena’s eyes looked ahead of her and she touched each of her fingertips together, twisting her hands round to shoot her hands forward, releasing the ball of moonlight. She watched as the light faded in the air quickly and she sighed.

“Yes, great,” Serena said tartly, looking at Luna pointedly.

“Darling, patience,” Queen Serenity’s voice interrupted them.

The three of them turned to look at the Silver Millennium goddess, who was approaching them with an amused expression on her face.

“Mother,” Serena gasped. “What are you doing here? I mean… did you want to join us?”

“Actually, I want to help you,” Serenity offered. “I can feel that you’re struggling, so here.”

Much quicker than Serena was able, Serenity effortlessly brought her hands up, closing her eyes briefly, a ball of moonlight forming in her hands and she brought her hands forward towards the Moon Castle. The light shot from her palms, embracing the castle, lighting up the moons on each of the turrets. Serenity turned towards Serena who was gaping at the display her Lunarian mother had created.

“Do you see anything?” she asked.

“Yeah!” Serena exclaimed. “Tremendous power that I can’t access.”

“But you have,” Serenity replied.

“What do you mean?” Serena frowned.

“How do you think you are here, Serena?”

Serena brought her eyes down to the ground, but she didn’t see it. Instead, what she saw was a simulated battle ground with the sailor guardians and the Shitennou. She recalled mummies surrounding her and the fear overwhelming her. She had raised her hands, feeling the warmth of her light simmering in her palms. In the next moment, a bright shining pure-white light fired from her palms, but it hadn’t stopped there. She felt the warmth of the light engulf her completely, shooting out in all directions, taking out every simulated monster in the training arena. That was the last thing she remembered. She raised her eyes to look at Serenity.

“I brought myself here,” she whispered.

Serenity nodded.

“You need to be where you’re strongest.”

“On the moon,” Serena deduced.

Serenity nodded again.

“The moon goes through phases, representing the rhythm of time as it embodies the cycle,” Serenity went on. “These phases represent immortality, eternity and the enlightenment or the dark side of nature herself. For the Earth, we brighten the sky when it’s dark. We are light.” Serenity squinted her eyes for the briefest moment. “The Earth Prince is in the dark.”

“And we need to bring him into the light,” Serena murmured.

“No,” Luna corrected, “you do.”

Serena and Serenity turned to look at the lunar cat.

“We explained to you how your connection with Darien works,” Luna went on. “None of us can reach him, but you. You share a deeper connection than he realises, though I strongly suspect that he feels it. Two kingdoms combined, whether dormant or not, makes you both stronger. And to be frank, the Earth needs Darien. This is why he’s getting the headaches, feeling weak and sick.”

Serena sighed. Serenity pursed her lips and reached up to squeeze her shoulder gently.

“Do you know why I suggested you try to harness your moonlight powers with the lotus mudra?” she asked.

Serena blinked at her dumbfounded, not at all expecting that question.

“Honestly, not really,” she replied. “I just presumed it was a quirk you had.”

Serenity chuckled.

“Oh, Serena,” she said affectionately. “Have you never wondered why Sailor Mars practices meditation so frequently?”

Again, Serena shook her head.

“I just thought it was a hobby,” she admitted.

“Sailor Mars practices self-discipline and grounding. Each of your powers originates from a different place and you each wield it differently according to what emotions triggers it. However, the foundation of your powers is the same and it all comes from your heart chakra. The heart chakra acts as your centre of compassion, empathy, love, and forgiveness. These are qualities that all sailor soldiers in the universe possess as guardians and protectors. The lotus mudra opens the heart chakra, and it is a symbol of purity, which is precisely what the moon’s power stands for. It’s why the evils of the world fights so hard against it. A lotus flower sits on the surface of the pond, opening to the sun as its roots remain deeply embedded into the muddy bottom, holding it firm and strong. It is the symbol of light and beauty emerging from the darkness. The message of the lotus mudra is to stay connected to your roots, open yourself to the light and realise that the greatest sense of steadiness in life is an open heart. It will help you to focus your power and harness your strength. In time, you may not need such focus but perhaps you may find it helpful to work with your power in this way.”

Serena patiently listened, finally understanding the Queen’s requests.

“I understand,” she simply replied.

Serenity said nothing but gestured with a minute gesture of her head for Serena to proceed. Serena pressed her lips together and closed her eyes in concentration, feeling the ground beneath her feet, aware of the breeze against her skin, her skirts flowing around her legs, the strength in her heart. It felt like time stopped as she resonated with the phases of the moon, feeling the time shift around her, feeling the warmth of her home. She felt the tug of power that constantly beckoned her from Earth, and she wanted to respond, but she knew she couldn’t. Not yet. She brought her hands together into the lotus mudra as she was taught and focused her energy. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know that she had conjured pure moonlight, for she felt its warm energy, felt the glow on her skin. She raised the corners of her mouth just a bit and opened her eyes, acting on instinct, closing her fingers around the ball of light, and mimicked her mother, shooting the light towards the moon castle. She watched as the light engulfed the palace, shining on the moon turrets, then shooting off each of the moons in a display of fireworks in the sky.

“Well, I must say,” Artemis commented, the light reflected in his eyes as he watched the performance of power.

Serena brushed the heel of her hand against her forehead and raised her eyes to the light she managed to conjure. She looked at Serenity to see her approving face looking back at her.

“Do you see what a little patience and discipline can do?”

“Oh yeah,” Serena whispered. Then she felt a distressed pull in her heart, and she groaned with a frown. “Oh, something’s wrong.”

“What is it, Serena?” Luna urged.

“Something is happening on Earth,” Serena gasped.

“Not to worry, darling,” Serenity soothed her. “I didn’t reincarnate you all in a second life for it to end.”

***

It was ridiculous that so much could happen in such a short amount of time. Yet, in just one lifetime, so much was gained and lost but, in some ways, it felt like their life was only just beginning. It was strange to think that they were now in their third lifetime, but the rest just faded into the background, almost as if it were someone else’s lives and not once theirs. But right now, none of that mattered. All it took was one moment for your whole existence to flash before your eyes and it wasn’t easy. All it took was one moment to define you and one action to mark you forever. It wasn’t anything he could forget easily. As he ascended the long staircase, he wasn’t seeing anything around him or hearing any of the usual sounds that indicated where he was. All he could see was her hands reaching out without fear to protect him. Hear her screams to alert him to the danger. But it was the stillness that was torture. The silence that was deafening. He felt like he had his heart in his throat and it wouldn’t go away until she was shooting flaming arrows again but for now, that was impossible.

He finally reached the entrance to the temple and with no hesitation, strode through the doors and down the corridor until he met the slightly ajar door of her room. He stood still, running his fingers through his short blonde locks as he breathed out with stress. And he reached out to push the door open quietly, entering the room silently, taking note that Amy must have recently left her. He could barely stand to rest his eyes on her, but he couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted to. He had to see her, alive and breathing.

He knew the tension in his jaw released once he laid eyes on her sleeping form because there was no mistaking the horror that he felt that he knew would be reflected in his face. Her face was slightly turned to the left of her, revealing the scarring down her neck and what he suspected went right down her side underneath her clothes. His breath hitched in his throat as he pulled up a chair to sit by her side, noting her hands. Her hands were red raw, bruised and slightly swollen. He saw it again in his mind: her fingers wrapping around the tentacles that were going for him. He spotted a bowl of antiseptic, a bundle of bandages and a wastepaper bin with a number of bloody gauzes in it. He remembered her groan when the Croatoan bit into her shoulder. He sighed heavily, feeling the tears behind his eyes.

“Why?” he murmured. “Why would you do it? Why would you put yourself in danger like that? For me.”

He reached forward and carefully reached for her hand and cradled it in both of his own. He felt grieved seeing her lying like this. The woman lying here wasn’t the fearless, strong warrior. Granted, she was always the fearless, strong warrior of his heart, but today, she was broken, tired and struggling to heal. He couldn’t forget the hurt, betrayal and sadness in her eyes when she revealed how she felt towards the Shitennou. He guessed he could understand the hurt, but he didn’t expect that she’d feel so… wounded, like an open injury that never healed, blood seeping through the stitches. So, he just couldn’t understand why she would do this, when Sailor Mars should have been standing in the way of the Croatoan and Serena, not him.

“How could you protect me like that?” he whispered into her hand. “Your life is more precious than mine. You shouldn’t be lying here, broken, wounded.”

He felt a tear fall from his eye and fall onto her skin, but he didn’t bother to wipe it away. It didn’t matter. No matter her reasons for hating him, he loved her. There was no denying it now.

He exhaled sharply, his breath brushing against her skin. Her eyelids fluttered and she shifted gently on the pillow. He didn’t notice as he set her hand down on top of her bedsheets carefully and stood, turning to the door. He couldn’t sit here. He’ll never be rid of the sight of her like this.

“Jack?”

His hand halted on the door and he turned to face Raye who was awake and staring at him curiously.

“Raye,” he said.

“What are you…” she started, then stopped and tried again. “Hi.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked, unsure what else to ask, but feeling like it was a stupid question all the same.

“I don’t think I’m in any pain,” she answered. “You?”

“I’m unharmed,” he replied shortly.

“Good,” she breathed, resting her head fully into the pillow and turning her head to the left again to gaze through the window.

Seeing the scarring down her neck again, he couldn’t help himself.

“Why did you do it?”

Her head whipped round to glare at him but then she immediately winced with a groan.

“Raye?”

“Shut up a minute,” she demanded, “and let it pass.”

“I thought you weren’t in any pain,” he echoed her.

She glared at him again.

“I don’t think my bones have quite recovered after that monster squeezed the living daylights out of me,” she grumbled. “Anyway, what kind of question is that?”

“You fought that monster with your bare hands… for me,” Jackson reminded. “And you got so hurt as a result. Again, for me. Why? Especially after I hurt you so much.”

Raye sighed, bringing her hand up to rub her face but winced at the pain in her shoulder.

“Jack…” she murmured, trailing off. “I don’t hate you. It’s like I said, you all abandoned us. You abandoned me. My life changed forever after that. Venus and I… we gave ourselves over to our mission as sailor guardians of the Moon Princess. That was all. Then you came back into our lives and all I could remember was our battle with the Dark Kingdom. Our battle with you. And it still hurts. I don’t know how you could do that. I was forced to kill you.”

“We were suspicious of the Moon and its constant surveillance of Earth,” Jackson explained. “We never stopped caring for our prince. When he died, we were all devastated. We don’t know how to make up for past sins, but we continue to protect him at all costs now. It was a mistake. We were drawn in by the evils of the Dark Kingdom. We were weak.”

“Typical people of the Earth,” she sighed, shaking her head in disgust.

“I know it’s not an excuse,” he defended himself. “Honestly, I wish we could take it back, but it happened. And you have to deal with that.”

“Funny,” she said drily. “I believe I am.”

Jackson looked at her, really looked at her. He realised that he couldn’t see her injuries on the inside from the trauma of the past, but he could see the scars on the surface. He sat down.

“You shouldn’t be suffering now,” he stated. “I should be where you are right now. You shouldn’t have protected me, Raye.”

“Yes, I should,” she disagreed. “I don’t want you to die.” She looked at him directly, her violet eyes shining. “I’ll heal and the scarring will fade. Super healing and all that.” She inhaled, a frown pushing her eyebrows together gently. “I love you, Jack, I just don’t know how to love you. My loyalty to Serena and Darien is stronger than anything else. I just need time to get past that all of you made the biggest mistake in the universe and I just need to hate you a little longer. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you, but I can try to. My intuition tells me to trust you and right now, that’s enough.”

“It’s more than I deserve,” Jackson acknowledged.

“I think saving your life is the first step to knowing that I’ll let you in some day,” Raye offered a small smile.

“Some day is something,” he replied.

***

“Hi Amy,” Zane greeted her, as he came into the sailor headquarters to join her. “How is it going? Sorry, I had to dash earlier. Killian wanted to test the Shitennou stones after Mina left with Darien.” He paused. “I suppose that begs the question: do you know where she took him?”

Amy looked at him from over the rim of her glasses.

“They aren’t on Earth, so I am presuming that she’s taken him to the Moon,” she replied.

“Seriously?” he asked. “She can just take him like that?”

“It’s not quite as simple as it sounds,” Amy commented absently.

“Wait, you said you presume,” he repeated.

Amy sighed, and stopped tapping into her Mercury computer.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “I can’t track them, hence my presumption. I think my inability to track them is for good reason. I think it has something to do with Serena.” She shrugged. “I’m not worried. I can still feel Venus’ power, and they’re safe. They’re just not here.” She looked down again at her Mercury computer with a frown. “That creature really isn’t making this easy for me.” She looked back up at him. “I’m sorry. I’m distracted. Did you come in for something?”

“Yes,” Zane laughed. “I came in to see how it’s going and if you need any help.” He nodded his head towards the Mercury computer. “How is our guest?”

“It might be easier to show you instead,” she said.

She brought her Mercury goggles down and tapped into her Mercury computer. They both turned to look beyond the highly advanced base into the empty space beyond and that was where Mercury’s hyperspatial sphere shield appeared to reveal the Croatoan trapped inside in the sealed off dimension. But what shocked Zane was that it was just standing there patiently.

“You said that the creature isn’t making it easy for you,” he mused. “What did you mean by that?”

“It looks like it’s doing nothing,” Amy explained. “But do you remember when I told you that it’s immune to magic? This is why we can hurt it, but we can’t eliminate it with our powers alone. There’s always an underlying cause for why it leaves.”

“Such as revealing our deepest darkest secret,” Zane finished.

“Indeed,” Amy nodded. “But the problem with being immune to magic? I can hold it there, but I can’t hold it forever. It’s actually sucking the energy that is containing it in the subspace. I was hoping the chrono lock would hold it in place until we’re ready but it’s not working as effectively as I’d hope.”

Zane considered her thoughtfully.

“Amy,” he started. “What exactly does that mean for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, essentially, you’re using a defensive power on it, right? And we can use magic defensively but to attack it won’t have a long term or permanent effect on it. But you said that it’s sucking the energy, so that indicates that it will puncture a hole in the sphere, releasing it.” He frowned, suddenly looking horrified. “Is this _exhausting _you to hold?”

“It takes a little more energy than I’m used to,” she admitted. “This is why I’ve been working on the computer to see how I can strengthen it. So far, no such luck.”

“Do you want my help?”

Amy looked at him, stress etched across her face and she reached out for his hand, almost shyly.

“Thank you,” she accepted.

“Oh, man, Amy,” he grimaced. “You’re quite clammy. Are you alright?”

“Like I said,” she repeated, “it takes a little more energy than I’m used to.”

“On that note, how is Raye?”

“On the mend,” Amy replied. “I think Jackson went to visit her. I left her sleeping about an hour ago. She’s, at least, not bleeding anymore. There’s scarring where I was able to heal her, but her sailor powers will clear all of that up in time. She will heal. It’ll just be a process. The problem was that she got injured in her civilian form. We aren’t as strong when we’re like that.”

“Ah,” Zane hummed. “Hold on, you girls are able to combine your strength, right?”

“Yeah, we can,” Amy confirmed. “For example, if we performed a sailor planet attack. It takes a lot out of us though. Why?”

“Do you think you’ll be able to combine powers with the Shitennou?”

“All of you? I’m not sure how that would work. Your powers are so different from ours.”

“I wasn’t so much thinking that you combine your powers with all of us,” he explained. “I was wondering if you’d be able to combine your powers with mine. I mean all of our powers compliment each of yours in some ways, so it might be possible.”

“How could you help with _that_ though?” she asked, pointing at the motionless Croatoan.

“A little faith, please,” he smiled, pecking her on the lips, causing a blush to rise in her cheeks at his touch. “Power up, water nymph.”

“Well, at least it’s not _meatball head_,” she smiled with a chuckle.

***

Serena sat cross-legged on her bed, testing her powers by conjuring balls of light as she’d been practicing. She mused to herself how easily her mother wielded her power and wondered if she would ever be able to marry up to her. She couldn’t imagine being her wonderful, powerful, poised, beautiful mother who she knew was loved by many in the universe. She knew she wasn’t everything that everyone wanted out of the Moon Princess, but they loved her regardless. It felt misguided. They didn’t really know her. She sighed and gazed out through the doors that led out to her balcony and looked at the sky, which was darkening as day turned to night, except on the moon, the night was never dark.

Time started to lose all meaning for her, the longer that she was on the moon. She thought it strange that she didn’t feel homesick. The moon was her home, but the earth was where her heart lay. It was weird but she didn’t feel cut off from her friends, or Darien, at all. It was like she never left them, even though she has to watch over them from afar while she was here. But she missed them. She didn’t feel time passing on the moon. It was like one long day. She didn’t feel tired though. She missed feeling tired. It reminded her that she was human, but maybe she wasn’t. Even now, it felt like her connection with Darien was stronger, like he was near. She shook her head at her wishful thinking.

She climbed off the bed, the skirts of her dress falling to the floor around her legs in waves and she walked out onto the balcony. She gazed down at the marble planet feeling the déjà vu and knowing she had indeed been here before. That was a sad thought, and it made her heart feel heavy. She looked down at her hands to see the flicker of moonlight in her fingers, but it was dull. Sometimes she cursed that her powers were so entwined in her emotions. There really was only one person who negated that, and she hated it. It felt like a burden he shouldn’t have to shoulder but she recalled him once saying that there was no burden that he’d rather share with her. It was really odd, but she felt like he was with her. That same warmth…

There was a soft orange glow shining behind her and she turned to look back into her room. There was something familiar about this glow and she knew that she knew it. The light grew brighter, and she was forced to close her eyes until the moment she felt the shine dull. She opened her eyes to find her room empty and she felt her shoulders sag. She was certain…

“Serena!” came a familiar squeal behind her.

She whirled round in shock to find Sailor Venus stood in the doorway leading to her balcony and she cried out in excitement as she leaped forward to embrace her tightly.

“V, what are you doing here?” she exclaimed. “I thought it was you I could feel!”

“Of course,” Venus grinned, hugging her back excitedly. “I couldn’t resist startling you.”

Serena pulled away to stare at her in amusement.

“Alright, okay, okay,” Venus laughed. “I come bearing gifts.”

“What do…” she trailed off when she watched Darien appear from around the corner on the balcony and stand in the doorway.

“Hi, Meatball Head,” he greeted her.


End file.
